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THE    COMEDY   OF  HUMAN  LIFE 
By   H.  DE   BALZAC 


SCENES    FROM    POLITICAL   LIFE 


AN    HISTORICAL    MYSTERY 


(UNE  TENEBREUSE  AFFAIRE) 


BALZAC'S     NOVELS. 

Translated  by  Miss  K.  P.  Wormeley. 


Already  Published: 
PEEE     GORIOT. 
DUCHESSE     DE     LANGEAIS. 
RISE  AND  FALL  OF  CESAR  BIROTTEAU. 
EUGENIE     GRANDET. 
COUSIN     PONS. 
THE     COUNTRY     DOCTOR. 
THE     TWO     BROTHERS. 
THE    ALKAHEST. 
MODESTE    MIGNON. 
THE   MAGIC    SKIN  (Peau  de  Chagrin). 
COUSIN     BETTE. 
LOUIS     LAMBERT. 
BUREAUCRACY  (Les  Employe's). 
SERAPHITA. 
SONS    OF    THE     SOIL. 
FAME    AND    SORROW 
THE   LILY    OF    THE    VALLEY. 
URSULA. 

AN   HISTORICAL   MYSTERY. 
ALBERT    SAVARUS. 
BALZAC  :    A   MEMOIR. 
PIERRETTE. 


ROBERTS    BROTHERS,    Publishers, 
BOSTON. 


HONORE    DE    BALZAC 

TRANSLATED    BY 

KATHARINE    PRESCOTT    WORMELEY 


An  Historical  Mystery 


ROBERTS     BROTHERS 

3     SOMERSET     STREET 

BOSTON 
1892 


Copyright,  1891, 
By  Roberts  Brothers. 


All  rights  reserved. 

$23  ff 


tKm'btrsttg  J3rcss : 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Judas 1 

II.     A  Crime  Relinquished 28 

III.  The  Mask  Thrown  Off 47 

IV.  Laurence  de  Cinq-Cygne     ....  58 
V.     Royalist  Homes  and  Portraits  un- 
der  the   Consulate 72 

VI.     A  Domiciliary  Visit 89 

VII.     A  Forest  Nook 105 

VIII.     Trials  of  the  Police 122 

IX.     Foiled 149 

PART   II. 

X.     One  and  the  Same,  yet  a  Two-fold 

Love 165 

XI.     Wise  Counsel 188 

XII.     The  Facts  of  a  Mysterious  Affair  202 


vi  Contents, 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIII.  The  Code  of  Brumaire,  Year  IV.   .  214 

XIV.  The  Arrests 227 

XV.  Doubts  and  Fears  of  Counsel    .     .  239 

XVI.     Marthe  Inveigled  ! 254 

XVII.     The  Trial 262 

XVIII.  The  Trial    Continued  :    Cruel    Vi- 
cissitudes      274 

XIX.     The  Emperor's  Bivouac 297 

XX.     The  Mystery  Solved 317 


Of    THE 

VEBSIT1 


AN    HISTORICAL   MYSTERY. 


To  Monsieur  de  Margone. 

In  grateful  remembrance,  from  his  guest  at  the  Chateau  de 
Sache.  De  Balzac. 

PART   I. 
I. 

JUDAS. 

The  autumn  of  the  year  1803  war  ne  of  the  finest  in 
the  early  part  of  that  period  oi  present  century 

which  we  now  call  "  Empire."  Rai  iad  refreshed  the 
earth  during  the  month  of  October.  ,o  that  the  trees 
were  still  green  and  leafy  in  November.  The  French 
people  were  beginning  to  put  faith  in  a  secret  under- 
standing between  the  skies  and  Bo^a  oarte,  then  declared 
Consul  for  life,  —  a  belief  to  which  nat  man  o>ves  part 
of  his  prestige  ;  strange  to  sa}T,  on  the  daj*  the  sun  failed 
him,  in  1812,  his  luck  ceased ! 

About  four  iii  the  afternoon  on  the  fifteenth  of 
November,  1803,  the  sun  was  casting  what  looked  like 
scarlet  dust  upon  the  venerable  tops  of  four   rows  of 

1 


2  An  Historical  Mystery. 

elms  in  a  long  baronial  avenue,  and  sparkling  on  the 
sand  and  grassy  places  of  an  immense  rond-point,  such 
as  we  often  see  in  the  country  where  land  is  cheap 
enough  to  be  sacrificed  to  ornament.  The  air  was  so 
pure,  the  atmosphere  so  tempered  that  a  family  was 
sitting  out  of  doors  as  though  it  were  summer.  A  man 
dressed  in  a  hunting-jacket  of  green  drilling  with  green 
buttons,  and  breeches  of  the  same  stuff,  and  wearing 
shoes  with  thin  soles  and  gaiters  to  the  knee,  was  clean- 
ing a  gun  with  the  minute  care  a  skilful  huntsman  gives 
to  the  work  in  his  leisure  hours.  This  man  had  neither 
game  nor  game-bag,  nor  an}'  of  the  accoutrements 
which  denote  either  departure  for  a  hunt  or  the  return 
from  it ;  and  two  women  sitting  near  were  looking  at 
him  as  though  beset  by  a  terror  they  could  ill-conceal. 
Any  one  observing  the  scene  taking  place  in  this  leafy 
nook  would  have  shuddered,  as  the  old  mother-in-law 
and  the  wife  of  the  man  we  speak  of  were  now  shud- 
dering. A  huntsman  does  not  take  such  minute  pre- 
cautions with  his  weapon  to  kill  small  game,  neither 
does  he  use,  in  the  department  of  the  Aube  a  heav}' 
rifled  carbine. 

"  Shall  3'ou  kill  a  roe-buck,  Michu?"  said  his  hand- 
some 3Toung  wife,  trying  to  assume  a  laughing  air. 

Before  replying,  Michu  looked  at  his  dog,  which  had 
been  lying  in  the  sun,  its  paws  stretched  out  and  its 
nose  on  its  paws,  in  the  charming  attitude  of  a  trainev 


An  Historical  Mystery.  3 

hunter.  The  animal  had  just  raised  its  head  and  was 
snuffing  the  air,  first  down  the  avenue  nearly  a  mile  long 
which  stretched  before  them,  and  then  up  the  cross  road 
where  it  entered  the  rond-point  to  the  left. 

"  No,"  answered  Michu,  "'but  a  brute  I  do  not  wish 
to  miss,  a  lynx." 

The  dog,  a  magnificent  spaniel,  white  with  brown 
spots,    growled. 

"  Hah  !  "  said  Michu,  talking  to  himself,  "  spies  !  the 
country  swarms  with  them." 

Madame  Michu  looked  appealingly  to  heaven.  A 
beautiful  fair  woman  with  blue  eyes,  composed  and 
thoughtful  in  expression  and  made  like  an  antique 
statue,  she  seemed  to  be  a  pre}'  to  some  dark  and  bitter 
grief.  The  husband's  appearance  ma}'  explain  to  a 
certain  extent  the  evident  fear  of  the  two  women.  The 
laws  of  physiognomy  are  precise,  not  only  in  their  appli- 
cation to  character,  but  also  in  relation  to  the  destinies 
of  life.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  prophetic  physiog- 
nomy. If  it  were  possible  (and  such  a  vital  statistic 
would  be  of  value  to  society)  to  obtain  exact  likenesses 
of  those  who  perish  on  the  scaffold,  the  science  of 
Lavater  and  also  that  of  Gall  would  prove  unmistak- 
ably that  the  heads  of  all  such  persons,  even  those  who 
are  innocent,  show  prophetic  signs.  Yes,  fate  sets  its 
nark  on  the  faces  of  those  who  are  doomed  to  die  a 

blent  death  of  any  kind.     Now,  this  sign,  this  seal, 


4  An  Historical  Mystery. 

visible  to  the  e}-e  of  an  observer,  was  imprinted  on  the 
expressive  face  of  the  man  with  the  rifled  carbine. 
Short  and  stout,  abrupt  and  active  in  his  motions  as  a 
monkej',  though  calm  in  temperament,  Michu  had  a 
white  face  injected  with  blood,  and  features  set  close 
together  like  those  of  a  Tartar,  —  a  likeness  to  which 
his  crinkled  red  hair  conveyed  a  sinister  expression. 
His  eyes,  clear  and  3Tellow  as  those  of  a  tiger,  showed 
depths  behind  them  in  which  the  glance  of  whoever 
examined  the  man  might  lose  itself  and  never  find 
either  warmth  or  motion.  Fixed,  luminous,  and  rigid, 
those  eyes  terrified  whoever  gazed  into  them.  The 
singular  contrast  between  the  immobility  of  the  e}*es 
and  the  activit}-  of  the  body  increased  the  chilling 
impression  conveyed  by  a  first  sight  of  Michu.  Action, 
alwa}'S  prompt  in  this  man,  was  the  outcome  of  a  sin- 
gle thought ;  just  as  the  life  of  animals  is,  without 
reflection,  the  outcome  of  instinct.  Since  1793  he  had 
trimmed  his  red  beard  to  the  shape  of  a  fan.  Even  if 
he  had  not  been  (as  he  was  during  the  Terror)  presi- 
dent of  a  club  of  Jacobins,  this  peculiarity  of  his  head 
would  in  itself  have  made  him  terrible  to  behold.  His 
Socratic  face  with  its  blunt  nose  was  surmounted  by  a 
fine  forehead,  so  projecting,  however,  that  it  overhung 
the  rest  of  the  features.  The  ears,  well  detached  from 
the  head,  had  the  sort  of  mobilitj7  which  we  find  in 
those  of  wild  animals,  which  are  ever  on  the  qui-vive. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  5 

The  mouth,  half-open,  as  the  custom  usually  is  among 
country-people,  showed  teeth  that  were  strong  and 
white  as  almonds,  but  irregular.  Gleaming  red  whiskers 
framed  this  face,  which  was  white  and  yet  mottled  in 
spots.  The  hair,  cropped  close  in  front  and  allowed  to 
grow  lonsr  at  the  sides  and  on  the  back  of  the  head, 
brought  into  relief,  by  its  savage  redness,  all  the  strange 
and  fateful  peculiarities  of  this  singular  face.  The 
neck  which  was  short  and  thick,  seemed  to  tempt  the 
axe. 

At  this  moment  the  sunbeams,  falling  in  long  lines 
athwart  the  group,  lighted  up  the  three  heads  at  which 
the  dog  from  time  to  time  glanced  up.  The  spot  on 
which  this  scene  took  place  was  magnificently  fine. 
The  rond-point  is  at  the  entrance  of  the  park  of  Gon- 
dreville,  one  of  the  finest  estates  in  France,  and  b}'  far 
the  finest  in  the  department  of  the  Aube  ;  it  boasts  of 
long  avenues  of  elms,  a  castle  built  from  designs  b}T 
Mansart,  a  park  of  fifteen  hundred  acres  inclosed  by 
a  stone  wall,  nine  large  farms,  a  forest,  mills,  and 
meadows.  This  almost  regal  property  belonged  before 
the  Revolution  to  the  family  of  Simeuse.  Ximeuse  was 
a  feudal  estate  in  Lorraine ;  the  name  was  pronounced 
Simeuse,  and  in  course  of  time  it  came  to  be  written 
as  pronounced. 

The  great  fortune  of  the  Simeuse  family,  adherents 
of  the  House  of  Burgundy,  dates  from  the  time  when 


6  An  Historical  Mystery. 

the  Guises  were  in  conflict  with  the  Valois.  Richelieu 
first,  and  afterwards  Louis  XIV.  remembered  their 
devotion  to  the  factious  house  of  Lorraine,  and  rebuffed 
them.  The  then  Marquis  de  Simeuse,  an  old  Burgun- 
dian,  old1  Guiser,  old  leaguer,  old  frondeur  (he  in- 
herited the  four  great  rancors  of  the  nobilit}T  against 
royalty),  came  to  live  at  Cinq-Cygne.  The  former  cour- 
tier, rejected  at  the  Louvre,  married  the  widow  of  the 
Comte  de  Cinq-C3Tgne,  younger  branch  of  the  famous 
family  of  Chargebceuf,  one  of  the  most  illustrious  names 
in  Champagne,  and  now  as  celebrated  and  opulent  as 
the  elder.  The  marquis,  among  the  richest  men  of  his 
da}',  instead  of  wasting  his  substance  at  court,  built 
the  chateau  of  Gondreville,  enlarged  the  estate  by  the 
purchase  of  others,  and  united  the  several  domains, 
solely  for  the  purposes  of  a  hunting-ground.  He  also 
built  the  Simeuse  mansion  at  Tnryes,  not  far  from  that 
of  the  Cinq-Cygnes.  These  two  old  house:,  and  the 
bishop's  palace  were  long  the  onl}T  stone  mansions  at 
Tnyves.  The  marquis  sold  Simeuse  to  the  Due  de  Lor- 
raine. His  son  wasted  the  father's  savings  and  some 
part  of  his  great  fortune  under  the  reign  of  Louis  XV., 
but  he  subsequently  entered  the  navy,  became  a  vice- 
admiral,  and  redeemed  the  follies  of  his  3'outh  by  bril- 
liant services.  The  Marquis  de  Simeuse,  son  of  this 
naval  worth}T,  perished  with  his  wife  on  the  scaffold  at 
Troves,  leaving  twin  sons,  who  emigrated  and  were,  at 


An  Historical  Mystery.  7 

the  time  our  history  opens,  still  in  foreign  parts  follow- 
ing the  fortunes  of  the  house  of  Concle. 

The  rond-point  was  the  scene  of  the  meet  in  the 
time  of  the  "  Grand  Marquis"  —  a  name  given  in  the 
family  to  the  Simeuse  who  built  Gondreville.  Since 
1789  Michu  lived  in  the  hunting  lodge  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  park,  built  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV., 
and  called  the  pavilion  of  Cinq-Cygne.  The  village  of 
Cinq-Cygne  is  at  the  end  of  the  forest  of  Nodesme  (a 
corruption  of  Notre-Dame)  which  was  reached  through 
the  fine  avenue  of  four  rows  of  elms  where  Michu 's  dogr 
was  now  suspecting  spies.  After  the  death  of  the 
Grand  Marquis  this  pavilion  fell  into  disuse.  The  vice- 
admiral  preferred  the  court  and  the  sea  to  Champagne, 
and  his  son  gave  the  dilapidated  building  to  Michu  for 
a  dwelling. 

This  noble  structure  is  of  brick,  with  vermiculated 
stone-work  at  the  angles  and  on  the  casings  of  the 
doors  and  windows.  On  either  side  is  a  gateway  of 
finely  wrought  iron,  eaten  with  rust  and  connected  by  a 
railing,  beyond  which  is  a  wide  and  deep  ha-ha,  full 
of  vigorous  trees,  its  parapets  bristling  with  iron  ara- 
besques, the  innumerable  sharp  points  of  which  are  a 
warning  to  evil-doers. 

The  park  walls  begin  on  each  side  of  the  circumfer- 
ence of  the  rond-point ;  on  the  one  hand  the  fine  semi- 
circle is  defined  by  slopes  planted  with  elms ;  on  the 


8  An  Historical  Mystery. 

other,  within  the  park,  a  corresponding  half-circle  is 
formed  by  groups  of  rare  trees.  The  pavilion,  there* 
•fore,  stands  at  the  centre  of  this  round  open  space, 
which  extends  before  it  and  behind  it  in  the  shape  of 
two  horseshoes.  Michu  had  turned  the  rooms  on  the 
lower  floor  into  a  stable,  a  kitchen,  and  a  wood-shed. 
The  only  trace  remaining  of  their  ancient  splendor  was 
an  antechamber  paved  with  marble  in  squares  of  black 
and  white,  which  was  entered  on  the  park  side  through 
a  door  with  small  leaded  panes,  such  as  might  still  be 
seen  at  Versailles  before  Louis-Philippe  turned  that 
Chateau  into  an  asylum  for  the  glories  of  France.  The 
pavilion  is  divided  inside  b}T  an  old  staircase  of  worm- 
eaten  wood,*  full  of  character,  which  leads  to  the  first 
story.  Above  that  is  an  immense  garret.  This  ven- 
erable edifice  is  covered  by  one  of  those  vast  roofs  with 
four  sides,  a  ridgepole  decorated  with  leaden  ornaments, 
and  a  round  projecting  window  on  each  side,  such  as 
Mansart,  very  justly  delighted  in  ;  for  in  France,  the 
Italian  attics  and  flat  roofs  are  a  foil}*  against  which  our 
climate  protests.  Michu  kept  his  fodder  in  this  garret. 
That  portion  of  the  park  which  surrounds  the  old 
pavilion  is  English  in  st}rle.  A  hundred  feet  from  the 
house  a  former  lake,  now  a  mere  pond  well  stocked  with 
fish,  makes  known  its  vicinity  as  much  by  a  thin  mist 
rising  above  the  tree-tops  as  by  the  croaking  of  a  thou- 
sand  frogs,  toads,  and  other  amphibious  gossips  who 


An  Historical  Mystery.  9 

discourse  at  sunset.  The  time-worn  look  of  everything, 
the  deep  silence  of  the  woods,  the  long  perspective  of 
the  avenue,  the  forest  in  the  distance,  the  rusty  iron- 
work, the  masses  of  stone  draped  with  velvet  mosses, 
all  made  poetry  of  this  old  structure,  which  still  exists. 

At  the  moment  when  our  history  begins  Michu  was 
leaning  against  a  mossy  parapet  on  which  he  had  laid 
his  powder-horn,  cap,  handkerchief,  screw-driver,  and 
rags,  —  in  fact,  all  the  utensils  needed  for-  his  suspicious 
occupation.  His  wife's  chair  was  against  the  wall  be- 
side the  outer  door  of  the  house,  above  which  could  still 
be  seen  the  arms  of  the  Simeuse  family,  richly  carved, 
with  their  noble  motto,  "  Cy  meurs."  The  old  mother, 
in  peasant  dress,  had  moved  her  chair  in  front  of 
Madame  Michu,  so  that  the  latter  might  put  her  feet 
upon  the  rungs  and  keep  them  from  dampness. 

"  Where  's  the  boy?"  said  Michu  to  his  wife. 

"  Round  the  pond ;  he  is  crazy  about  the  frogs  and 
the  insects,"  answered  the  mother. 

Michu  whistled  in  a  way  that  made  his  hearers  trem- 
ble. The  rapidity  with  which  his  son  ran  up  to  him 
proved  plainly  enough  the  despotic  power  of  the  bailiff 
of  Gondreville.  Since  1789,  but  more  especially  since 
1793,  Michu  had  been  well-nigh  master  of  the  property. 
The  terror  he  inspired  in  his  wife,  his  mother-in-law, 
a  servant-lad  named  Gaucher,  and  the  cook  named 
Marianne,   was  shared  throughout  a  neighborhood  of 


10  An  Historical  Mystery, 

twenty  miles  in  circumference.  It  may  be  well  to  give, 
without  further  delay,  the  reasons  for  this  fear,  —  all 
the  more  because  an  account  of  them  will  complete 
the  moral  portrait  of  the  man. 

The  old  Marquis  de  Simeuse  transferred  the  greater 
part  of  his  property  in  1790  ;  but,  overtaken  by  circum- 
stances, he  had  not  been  able  to  put  the  estate  of  Gon- 
dreville  into  sure  hands.  Accused  of  corresponding 
with  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  and  the  Prince  of  Cobourg, 
i;he  marquis  and  his  wife  were  thrust  into  prison  and 
condemned  to  death  by  the  revolutionary  tribunal  of 
Troyes,  of  which  Madame  Michu's  father  was  then 
president.  The  fine  domain  of  Gondreville  was  sold  as 
national  property.  The  head-keeper,  to  the  horror  of 
many,  was  present  at  the  execution  of  the  marquis  and 
his  wife  in  his  capacity  as  president  of  the  club  of  Jaco- 
bins at  Arcis.  Michu,  the  orphan  son  of  a  peasant, 
showered  with  benefactions  b}'  the  marquise,  who 
brought  him  up  in  her  own  home  and  gave  him  his 
place  as  keeper,  was  regarded  as  a  Brutus  by  excited 
demagogues  ;  but  the  people  of  the  neighborhood  ceased 
to  recognize  him  after  this  act  of  base  ingratitude. 
The  purchaser  of  the  estate  was  a  man  from  Arcis 
named  Marion,  grandson  of  a  former  bailiff  in  the 
Simeuse  family.  This  man,  a  lawj'er  before  and  after 
the  Revolution,  was  afraid  of  the  keeper  ;  he  made  him 
his  bailiff  with  a  salary  of  three  thousand  francs,  and 


An  Historical  Mystery.  11 

gave  him  an  interest  in  the  sales  of  timber ;  Michu, 
who  was  thought  to  have  some  ten  thousand  francs  of 
his  own  laid  by,  married  the  daughter  of  a  tanner  at 
Troves,  an  apostle  of  the  Revolution  in  that  town, 
where  he  was  president  of  the  revolutionary  tribunal. 
This  tanner,  a  man  of  profound  convictions,  who  resem- 
bled Saint-Just  as  to  character,  was  afterwards  mixed 
up  in  Baboeuf  s  conspiracy  and  killed  himself  to  escape 
execution.  Marthe  was  the  handsomest  girl  in  Troyes. 
In  spite  of  her  shrinking  modesty  she  had  been  forced 
by  her  formidable  father  to  play  the  part  of  Goddess  of 
Liberty  in  some  republican  ceremony. 

The  new  proprietor  came  onlj-  three  times  to  Gondre- 
ville  in  the  course  of  seven  years.  His  grandfather 
had  been  bailiff  of  the  estate  under  the  Simeuse  family, 
and  all  Arcis  took  for  granted  that  the  citizen  Marion 
was  the  secret  representative  of  the  present  Marquis 
and  his  twin  brother.  As  long  as  the  Terror  lasted, 
Michu,  still  bailiff  of  Gondreville,  a  devoted  patriot, 
son-in-law  of  the  president  of  the  revolutionary  tribunal 
of  Troyes  and  flattered  b}'  Malin,  representative  from 
the  department  of  the  Aube,  was  the  object  of  a  cer- 
tain sort  of  respect.  But  when  the  Mountain  was  over- 
thrown and  after  his  father-in-law  committed  suicide,  he 
found  himself  a  scape-goat ;  everybody  hastened  to 
accuse  him,  in  common  with  his  father-in-law,  of  acts  to 
which,   so  far  as   he   was    concerned,  he   was   a  total 


THE  f 

TTWTVF-RRTTV 


12  An  Historical  Mystery. 

stranger.  The  bailiff  resented  the  injustice  of  the  com- 
munity ;  he  stiffened  his  back  and  took  an  attitude  of 
hostility.  He  talked  boldly.  But  after  the  18th  Bra- 
maire  he  maintained  an  unbroken  silence,,  the  philoso- 
phy  of  the  strong ;  he  struggled  no  longer  against 
public  opinion,  and  contented  himself  with  attending  to 
his  own  affairs,  —  wise  conduct,  which  led  his  neighbors 
to  pronounce  him  sly,  for  he  owned,  it  was  said,  a  for- 
tune of  not  less  than  a  hundred  thousand  franes  in 
landed  property.  In  the  first  place,  he  spent  nothing  ; 
next,  this  property  was  legitimately  acquired,  parti}' 
from  the  inheritance  of  his  father-in-law's  estate,  and 
partly  from  the  savings  of  six  thousand  francs  a  year, 
the  salary  he  derived  from  his  place  with  its  profits  and 
emoluments.  He  had  been  bailiff  of  Gondreville  for 
the  last  twelve  years  and  every  one  had  estimated  the 
probable  amount  of  his  savings,  so  that  when,  after  the 
Consulate  was  proclaimed,  he  bought  a  farm  for  fifty 
thousand  francs,  the  suspicions  attaching  to  his  former 
opinions  lessened,  and  the  community  of  Arcis  gave 
him  credit  for  intending  to  recover  himself  in  public 
estimation.  Unfortunately,  at  the  very  moment  when 
public  opinion  was  condoning  his  past  a  foolish  affair, 
envenomed  by  the  gossip  of  the  counts-side,  revived 
the  latent  and  very  general  belief  in  the  ferocity  of  his 
character. 

One  evening,  coming  away  from  Troyes  in  conipairy 


An  Historical  Mystery.  13 

with  several  peasants,  among  whom  was  the  farmer  at 
Cinq-Cygne,  he  let  fall  a  paper  on  the  main  road ;  the 
farmer,  who  was  walking  behind  him,  stooped  and 
picked  it  up.  Michu  turned  round,  saw  the  paper  in 
the  man's  hands,  pulled  a  pistol  from  his  belt  and 
threatened  the  farmer  (who  knew  how  to  read)  to  blow 
his  brains  out  if  he  opened  the  paper.  Michu's  action 
was  so  sudden  and  violent,  the  tone  of  his  voice  so 
alarming,  his  eyes  blazed  so  savagely,  that  the  men 
about  him  turned  cold  with  fear.  The  farmer  of  Cinq- 
Cj'gne  was  already  his  enemy.  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq- 
Cygne,  the  man's  emplo}'er,  was  a  cousin  of  the  Simeuse 
brothers ;  she  had  only  one  farm  left  for  her  main- 
tenance and  was  now  residing  at  her  chateau  of  Cinq- 
Cygne.  She  lived  for  her  cousins  the  twins,  with 
whom  she  had  pla}red  in  childhood  at  Tro}'es  and  at 
Gondreville.  Her  only  brother,  Jules  de  Cinq-Cygne, 
who  emigrated  before  the  twins,  died  at  Mayence,  but 
by  a  privilege  which  was  somewhat  rare  and  will  be 
mentioned  later,  the  name  of  Cinq-Cj'gne  was  not  to 
perish  through  lack  of  male  heirs. 

This  affair  between  Michu  and  the  farmer  made  a 
great  noise  in  the  arrondissement  and  darkened  the 
already  mysterious  shadows  which  seemed  to  veil  him. 
Nor  was  it  the  only  circumstance  which  made  him  feared. 
A  few  months  after  this  scene  the  citizen  Marion,  pres- 
ent owner  of  the  Gondreville  estate,  came  to  inspect  it 


14  An  Historical  Mystery. 

with  the  citizen  Malin.  Rumor  said  that  Marion  was 
about  to  sell  the  property  to  his  companion,  who  had 
profited  by  political  events  and  had  just  been  appointed 
on  the  Council  of  State  bv  the  First  Consul,  in  return 
for  his  services  on  the  18th  Brumaire.  The  shrewd 
heads  of  the  little  town  of  Arcis  now  perceived  that 
Marion  had  been  the  agent  of  Malin  in  the  purchase  of 
the  propertj',  and  not  of  the  brothers  Simeuse,  as  was 
first  supposed.  The  all-powerful  Councillor  of  State 
was  the  most  important  personage  in  Arcis.  He  had 
obtained  for  one  of  his  political  friends  the  prefecture 
of  Troj'es,  and  for  a  farmer  at  Gondreville  the  exemp- 
tion of  his  son  from  the  draft ;  in  fact,  he  had  done 
services  to  rnan}\  Consequently  the  sale  met  with  no 
opposition  in  the  neighborhood  where  Malin  then 
reigned,   and  where  he  still  reigns  supreme. 

The  Empire  was  just  dawning.  Those  who  in  these 
da3's  read  the  histories  of  the  French  Revolution  can 
form  no  conception  of  the  vast  spaces  which  public 
thought  traversed  between  events  which  now  seem  to 
have  been  so  near  together.  The  strong  need  of  peace 
and  tranquillity  which  every  one  felt  after  the  violent 
tumults  of  the  Revolution  brought  about  a  complete 
forgetfulness  of  important  anterior  facts.  History 
matured  rapidly  under  the  advance  of  new  and  eager 
interests.  No  one,  therefore,  except  Michu,  looked 
into  the  past  of  this  affair,  which  the  community  ac' 


An  Historical  Mystery.  15 

cepted  as  a  simple  matter.  Marion,  who  had  bought 
Gondreville  for  six  hundred  thousand  francs  in  assi«;- 
nats,  sold  it  for  the  value  of  a  couple  of  million  in  coin ; 
but  the  only  payments  actually  made  by  Mai  in  were  for 
the  costs  of  registration.  Grevin,  a  seminar}*  comrade 
of  Malin,  assisted  the  transaction,  and  the  Councillor 
rewarded  his  help  with  the  office  of  notaiy  at  Arcis. 
When  the  news  of  the  sale  reached  the  pavilion,  brought 
there  b}7  a  farmer  whose  farm,  at  Grouage,  was  situ- 
ated between  the  forest  and  the  park  on  the  left  of  the 
noble  avenue,  Michu  turned  pale  and  left  the  house. 
He  lay  in  wait  for  Marion,  and  finally  met  him  alone  in 
one  of  the  shrubberies  of  the  park. 

"  Is  monsieur  about  to  sell  Gondreville?  "  asked  the 
bailiff. 

•'Yes,  Michu,  yes.  You  will  have  a  man  of  power- 
ful influence  for  3'our  master.  He  is  the  friend  of  the 
First  Consul,  and  very  intimate  with  all  the  ministers ; 
he  will  protect  tyou." 

"  Then  you  were  holding  the  estate  for  him?  " 

"  I  don't  sa}*  that,"  replied  Marion.  "  At  the  time 
I  bought  it  I  was  looking  for  a  place  to  put  my  money, 
and  I  invested  in  national  property  as  the  best  security. 
But  it  does  n't  suit  me  to  keep  an  estate  once  belonging 
to  a  family  in  which  my  father  was  —  " 

" — a  servant,"  said  Michu,  violently.  "But  you 
shall  not  sell  it !  I  want  it ;  and  I  can  pa}'  for  it." 


16  An  Historical  Mystery, 

"You?" 

"Yes,  I;  seriously,  in  good  gold,  —  eight  hundred 
thousand  francs." 

"Eight  hundred  thousand  francs!"  exclaimed 
Marion.     "  Where  did  3'ou  get  them?  " 

"  That 's  none  of  3'our  business,"  replied  Michu  ;  then, 
softening  his  tone,  he  added  in  a  low  voice:  "  My 
father-in-law  saved  the  lives  of  many  persons." 

"  You  are  too  late,  Michu ;  the  sale  is  made." 

"You  must  put  it  off,  monsieur!"  cried  the  bailiff, 
seizing  his  master  by  the  hand  which  he  held  as  in  a 
vice.  "  I  am  hated,  but  I  choose  to  be  rich  and  power- 
ful, and  I  must  have  Gondreville.  Listen  to  me ;  I 
don't  cling  to  life  ;  sell  me  that  place  or  I  '11  blow  3-our 
brains  out !  —  " 

"But  do  give  me  time  to  get  off  my  bargain  with 
Malin  ;  he  's  troublesome  to  deal  with." 

"  I  '11  give  }'Ou  twent3'-four  hours.  If  3'ou  stay  a  word 
about  this  matter  I '11  chop  30111-  head  off  as  I  would 
chop  a  turnip." 

Marion  and  Malin  left  the  chateau  in  the  course  of 
the  night.  Marion  was  frightened  ;  he  told  Malin  of  the 
meeting  and  begged  him  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  bailiff. 
It  was  impossible  for  Marion  to  avoid  delivering  the 
propert3'  to  the  man  who  had  been  the  real  purchaser, 
and  Michu  did  not  seem  likety  to  admit  anjr  such  rea- 
son.    Moreover,  this  service  done  113*  Marion  to  Malin 


An  Historical  Mystery.  17 

was  to  be,  and  in  fact  ended  by  being,  the  origin  of  the 
former's  political  fortune,  and  also  that  of  his  brother. 
In  1806  Malin  had  him  appointed  chief  justice  of  an  im- 
perial court,  and  after  the  creation  of  tax-collectors  his 
brother  obtained  the  post  of  receiver-general  for  the 
department  of  the  Aube.  The  State  Councillor  told 
Marion  to  stav  in  Paris,  and  he  warned  the  minister  of 
police,  who  gave  orders  that  Michu  should  be  secretly 
watched.  Not  wishing  to  push  the  man  to  extremities, 
Malin  kept  him  on  as  bailiff,  under  the  iron  rule  of 
Grevin  the  notaiy  of  Arcis. 

From  that  moment  Michu  became  more  absorbed 
and  taciturn  than  ever,  and  obtained  the  reputation  of  a 
man  who  was  capable  of  committing  a  crime.  Malin,  the 
Councillor  of  State  (a  function  which  the  First  Consul 
raised  to  the  level  of  a  ministry),  and  a  maker  of  the 
Code,  played  a  great  part  in  Paris,  where  he  bought  one 
of  the  finest  mansions  in  the  Faubourg  Saint-Germain 
after  marrying  the  only  daughter  of  a  rich  contractor 
named  Sibuelle.  He  never  came  to  Gondreville  ;  leav- 
ing all  matters  concerning  the  propert}^  to  the  man- 
agement of  Grevin,  the  Arcis  notary.  After  all,  what 
had  he  to  fear? — he,  a  former  representative  of  the 
Aube,  and  president  of  a  club  of  Jacobins.  And  3'et,  the 
unfavorable  opinion  of  Michu  held  by  the  lower  classes 
was  shared  by  the  bourgeoisie,  and  Marion,  Grevin,  and 
Malin,    without   giving   an}'   reason   or    compromising 

2 


18  An  Historical  Mystery. 

themselves  on  the  subject,  showed  that  they  regarded 
him  as  an  extremely  dangerous  man.  The  authorities, 
who  were  under  instructions  from  the  minister  of  police 
to  watch  the  bailiff,  did  not  of  course  lessen  this  belief. 
The  neighborhood  wondered  that  he  kept  his  place,  but 
supposed  it  was  in  consequence  of  the  terror  he  in- 
spired. It  is  easy  now,  after  these  explanations  to 
understand  the  anxiety  and  sadness  expressed  in  the 
face  of  Michu's  wife. 

In  the  first  place,  Marthe  had  been  piously  brought  up 
by  her  mother.  Both,  being  good  Catholics,  had  suffered 
much  from  the  opinions  and  behavior  of  the  tanner. 
Marthe  could  never  think  without  a  blush  of  having 
marched  through  the  street  of  Troyes  in  the  garb  of  a 
goddess.  Her  father  had  forced  her  to  marry  Michu, 
whose  bad  reputation  was  then  increasing,  and  she  feared 
him  too  much  to  be  able  to  judge  him.  Nevertheless, 
she  knew  that  he  loved  her,  and  at  the  bottom  of  her  heart 
la}T  the  truest  affection  for  this  awe-inspiring  man  ;  she 
had  never  known  him  to  do  anjthing  that  was  not  just ; 
never  did  he  say  a  brutal  word,  to  her  at  least ;  in  fact, 
he  endeavored  to  forestall  her  every  wish.  The  poor 
pariah,  believing  himself  disagreeable  to  his  wife,  spent 
most  of  his  time  out  of  doors.  Marthe  and  Michu,  dis- 
trustful of  each  other,  lived  in  what  is  called  in  these 
da}-s  an  ''armed  peace."  Marthe,  who  saw  no  one, 
suffered  keenly  from  the  ostracism  which  for  the  last 


An  Historical  Mystery.  19 

seven  years  had  surrounded  her  as  the  daughter  of  a 
revolutionary  butcher,  and  the  wife  of  a  so-called  traitor. 
More  than  once  she  had  overheard  the  laborers  of  the 
adjoining  farm  (held  by  a  man  named  Beauvisage, 
greatly  attached  to  the  Simeuse  family)  say  as  they 
passed  the  pavilion,  "That's  where  Judas  lives!" 
The  singular  resemblance  between  the  bailiff's  head  and 
that  of  the  thirteenth  apostle,  which  his  conduct  ap- 
peared to  carry  out,  won  him  that  odious  nickname 
throughout  the  neighborhood.  It  was  this  distress  of 
mind,  added  to  vague  but  constant  fears  for  the  future, 
which  gave  Marthe  her  thoughtful  and  subdued  air. 
Nothing  saddens  so  deeply  as  unmerited  degradation 
from  which  there  seems  no  escape.  A  painter  could 
have  made  a  fine  picture  of  this  family  of  pariahs  in  the 
bosom  of  their  pretty  nook  in  Champagne,  where  the 
landscape  is  generally  sad. 

11  Francois  !  "  called  the  bailiff,  to  hasten  his  son. 

Francois  Michu,  a  child  of  ten,  played  in  the  park  and 
forest,  and  levied  his  little  tithes  like  a  master ;  ho  ate 
the  fruits  ;  he  chased  the  game  ;  he  at  least  had  neither 
cares  nor  troubles.  Of  all  the  family,  Francois  alone 
was  happy  in  a  home  thus  isolated  from  the  neighbor- 
hood by  its  position  between  the  park  and  forest,  and  by 
the  still  greater  moral  solitude  of  universal  repulsion. 

"  Pick  up  these  things,"  said  his  father,  pointing  to  the 
parapet,  "  and  put  them  away.    Look  at  me  !    You  love 


20  An  Historical  Mystery, 

your  father  and  }T>ur  mother,  don't  you  ?  "  The  child 
flung  himself  on  his  father  as  if  to  kiss  him,  but  Michu 
made  a  movement  to  shift  the  gun  and  pushed  him 
back.  "Very  good.  You  have  sometimes  chattered 
about  things  that  are  clone  here,"  continued  the  father, 
fixing  his  eyes,  dangerous  as  those  of  a  wild-cat,  on  the 
bo}\  "  Now  remember  this  ;  if  you  tell  the  least  little 
thing  that  happens  here  to  Gaucher,  or  to  the  Grouage 
and  Bellache  people,  or  even  to  Marianne  who  loves  us, 
you  will  kill  3'our  father.  Never  tattle  again,  and  I  will 
forgive  what  3*011  said  3Testerda3T."  The  child  began  to 
ciy.  "Don't  cry;  but  when  an3'  one  questions  3'ou, 
sa3*,  as  the  peasants  do,  '  I  don't  know.'  There  are 
persons  roaming  about  whom  I  distrust.  Run  along ! 
As  for  you  two,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  women, 
"  3011  have  heard  what  I  said.  Keep  a  close  mouth, 
both  of  you." 

"  Husband,  what  are  3Tou  going  to  do?" 

Michu,  who  was  carefully  measuring  a  charge  of 
powder,  poured  it  into  the  barrel  of  his  gun,  rested  the 
weapon  against  the  parapet  and  said  to  Marthe :  — 

"  No  one  knows  I  own  that  gun.  Stand  in  front  of 
it." 

Couraut,  who  had  sprung  to  his  feet,  was  barking 
furiously. 

"Good,  intelligent  fellow!"  cried  Michu.  "I  am 
certain  there  are  spies   about  — " 


An  Historical  Mystery.  21 

Man  and  beast  feel  a  spy.  Couraut  and  Michu,  who 
seemed  to  have  one  and  the  same  soul,  lived  together 
as  the  Arab  and  his  horse  in  the  desert.  The  bailiff 
knew  the  modulations  of  the  dog's  voice,  just  as  the  dog 
read  his  master's  meaning  in  his  eyes,  or  felt  it  exhaling 
in  the  air  from  his  body. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  that?"  said  Michu,  in  a  low 
voice,  calling  his  wife's  attention  to  two  strangers  who 
appeared  in  a  by-path  making  for  the  rond-point. 

"  What  can  it  mean?  "  cried  the  old  mother.  "They 
are  Parisians." 

"  Here  they  come  !  "  said  Michu.  "  Hide  my  gun," 
he  whispered  to  his  wife. 

The  two  men  who  now  crossed  the  wide  open  space 
of  the  rond-point  were  typical  enough  for  a  painter. 
Oiiq,  who  appeared  to  be  the  subaltern,  wore  top-boots, 
turned  down  rather  low,  showing  well-made  calves,  and 
colored  silk  stockings  of  doubtful  cleanliness.  The 
breeches,  of  ribbed  cloth,  apricot  color  with  metal  but- 
tons, were  too  large  ;  the\T  were  baggy  about  the  bod\', 
and  the  lines  of  their  creases  seemed  to  indicate  a 
sedentary  man.  A  marseilles  waistcoat,  overloaded 
with  embroidery,  open,  and  held  together  b}'  one  button 
only  just  above  the  stomach,  gave  to  the  wearer  a  dissi- 
pated look,  —  all  the  more  so,  because  his  jet  black  hair, 
in  corkscrew  curls,  hid  his  forehead  and  hung  down  his 
cheeks.     Two  steel  watch-chains  were  festooned  upon 


22  An  Historical  Mystery. 

his  breeches.  The  shirt  was  adorned  with  a  cameo  in 
white  and  blue.  The  coat,  cinnamon-colored,  was  a 
treasure  to  caricaturists  by  reason  of  its  long  tails, 
which,  when  seen  from  behind,  bore  so  perfect  a  re- 
semblance to  a  cod  that  the  name  of  that  fish  was  given 
to  them.  The  fashion  of  codfish  tails  lasted  ten  3'ears  ; 
almost  the  whole  period  of  the  empire  of  Napoleon. 
The  cravat,  loosely  fastened,  and  with  numerous  small 
folds,  allowed  the  wearer  to  bury  his  face  in  it  up  to  the 
nostrils.  His  pimpled  skin,  his  long,  thick,  brick-dust 
colored  nose,  his  high  cheek-bones,  his  mouth,  lacking 
half  its  teeth  but  greedy  for  all  that  and  menacing,  his 
ears  adorned  with  huge  gold  rings,  his  low  forehead,  — 
all  these  personal  details,  which  might  have  seemed  gro- 
tesque in  many  men,  were  rendered  terrible  in  him  by 
two  small  e3'es  set  in  his  head  like  those  of  a  pig,  ex- 
pressive of  insatiable  covetousness,  and  of  insolent,  half- 
jovial  cruelty.  These  ferreting  and  perspicacious  blue 
eyes,  glass}7  and  glacial,  might  be  taken  for  the  model  of 
that  famous  E}-e,  the  formidable  emblem  of  the  police, 
invented  during  the  Revolution.  Black  silk  gloves  were 
on  his  hands  and  he  carried  a  switch.  He  was  certainly 
some  official  personage,  for  he  showed  in  his  bearing, 
in  his  wa}'  of  taking  snuff  and  ramming  it  into  his  nose, 
the  bureaucratic  importance  of  an  office  subordinate, 
one  who  signs  for  his  superiors  and  acquires  a  passing 
sovereignty  hy  enforcing  their  orders. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  23 

The  other  man,  whose  dress  was  in  the  same  style, 
but  elegant  and  elegantly  put  on  and  careful  in  its 
smallest  detail,  wore  boots  a  la  Suwaroff  which  came 
high  upon  the  leg  above  a  pair  of  tight  trousers,  and 
creaked  as  he  walked.  Above  his  coat  he  wore  a 
spencer,  an  aristocratic  garment  adopted  by  the  Clich- 
iens  and  the  young  bloods  of  Paris,  which  survived 
both  the  Clichiens  and  the  fashionable  youths.  In  those 
days  fashions  sometimes  lasted  longer  than  parties,  —  a 
symptom  of  anarchy  which  the  year  of  our  Lord  1830 
has  again  presented  to  us.  This  accomplished  dandy 
seemed  to  be  thirty  years  of  age.  His  manners  were 
those  of  good  society  ;  he  wore  jewels  of  value ;  the 
collar  of  his  shirt  came  to  the  tops  of  his  ears.  His 
conceited  and  even  impertinent  air  betrayed  a  conscious- 
ness of  hidden  superiority.  His  pallid  face  seemed 
bloodless,  his  thin  flat  nose  had  the  sardonic  expression 
which  we  see  in  a  death's  head,  and  his  green  eyes 
were  inscrutable  ;  their  glance  was  discreet  in  meaning 
just  as  the  thin  closed  mouth  was  discreet  in  words. 
The  first  man  seemed  on  the  whole  a  good  fellow  com- 
pared with  this  younger  man,  who  was  slashing  the  air 
with  a  cane,  the  top  of  which,  made  of  gold,  glittered  in 
the  sunshine.  The  first  man  might  have  cut  off  a  head 
with  his  own  hand,  but  the  second  was  capable  of  en- 
tangling innocence,  virtue,  and  beauty  in  the  nets  of 
calumny   and   intrigue,    and   then   poisoning   them    or 


24  An  Historical  Mystery. 

drowning  them.  The  rubicund  stranger  would  have 
comforted  his  victim  with  a  jest ;  the  other  was  incapa- 
ble of  a  smile.  The  first  was  for t}r- five  j'ears  old,  and 
he  loved,  undoubted!}',  both  women  and  good  cheer. 
Such  men  have  passions  which  keep  them  slaves  to 
their  calling.  But  the  young  man  was  plainly  without 
passions  and  without  vices.  If  he  was  a  spy  he 
belonged  to  diplomacy,  and  did  such  work  from  a  pure 
love  of  art.  He  conceived,  the  other  executed  ;  he  was 
the  idea,  the  other  was  the  form. 

"  This  must  be  Gondreville,  is  it  not,  my  good 
woman  ?  "    said  the  young  man. 

"  We  don't  sa}*  '  my  good  woman '  here,"  said  Michu. 
"  We  are  still  simple  enough  to  say  '  citizen '  and  '  citi- 
zeness'  in  these  parts." 

"  Ah !  "  exclaimed  the  young  man,  in  a  natural  way, 
and  without  seeming  at  all  anno\ed. 

Plaj-ers  of  ecarte  often  have  a  sense  of  inward  dis- 
aster when  some  unknown  person  sits  down  at  the 
same  table  with  them,  whose  manners,  look,  voice,  and 
method  of  shuffling  the  cards,  all,  to  their  fane}',  fore- 
tell defeat.  The  instant  Michu  looked  at  the  j'oung 
man  he  felt  an  inward  and  prophetic  collapse.  He  was 
struck  by  a  fatal  presentiment ;  he  had  a  sudden  con- 
fused foreboding  of  the  scaffold.  A  voice  told  him  that 
that  dandy  would  destroy  him,  although  there  was 
nothing  whatever  in  common  between  them.     For  this 


An  Historical  Mystery.  25 

reason  his  answer  was  rude  ;  he  was  and  he  wished  to 
be  forbidding. 

"  Don't  you  belong  to  the  Councillor  of  State,  Malin  ?  " 
said  the  younger  man. 

"  I  am  my  own  master,"  answered  Miehu. 

"  Mesdames,"  said  the  young  man,  assuming  a  most 
polite  air,  "  are  we  not  at  Gondreville?  We  are 
expected  there  by  Monsieur  Malin." 

"  There  's  the  park,"  said  Michu,  pointing  to  the  open 
gate. 

"Why  are  you  hiding  that  gun,  my  fine  girl?"  said 
the  elder,  catching  sight  of  the  carbine  as  he  passed 
through  the  gate. 

"  You  never  let  a  chance  escape  you,  even  in  the 
country  !  "    cried  his  companion. 

They  both  turned  back  with  a  sense  of  distrust  which 
the  bailiff  understood  at  once  in  spite  of  their  impassi- 
ble faces.  Marthe  let  them  look  at  the  gun,  to  the 
tune  of  Couraut's  bark ;  she  was  so  convinced  that  her 
husband  was  meditating  some  evil  deed  that  she  was 
thankful  for  the  curiosity  of  the  strangers. 

Michu  flung  a  look  at  his  wife  which  made  her  trem- 
ble ;  he  took  the  gun  and  began  to  load  it,  accepting 
quietly  the  fatal  ill-luck  of  this  encounter  and  the  dis- 
covery of  the  weapon.  He  seemed  no  longer  to  care 
for  life,  and  his  wife  fathomed  his  inward  feeling. 

"So  you  have  wolves  in  these  parts?"  said  the 
young  man,   watching  him. 


26  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  There  are  alwa}rs  wolves  where  there  are  sheep. 
You  are  in  Champagne,  and  there 's  a  forest ;  we  have 
wild-boars,  large  and  small  game  both,  a  little  of  ever}'- 
tliing,"  replied  Michu,  in  a  truculent  manner. 

"  I'll  bet,  Corentin,"  said  the  elder  of  the  two  men, 
after  exchanging  a  glance  with  his  companion,  "that 
this  is  my  friend  Michu  —  " 

"  We  never  kept  pigs  together  that  I  know  of,"  said 
the  bailiff. 

"  No,  but  we  both  presided  over  Jacobins,  citizen," 
replied  the  old  cynic,  —  "  you  at  Arcis,  I  elsewhere.  I 
see  you  've  kept  }Tour  Carmagnole  civility,  but  it 's  no 
longer  in   fashion,  m}T  good  fellow." 

"  The  park  strikes  me  as  rather  large  ;  we  might  lose 
our  wa}'.  If  3'ou  are  really  the  bailiff  show  us  the  path 
to  the  chateau,"  said  Corentin,  in  a  peremptory  tone. 

Michu  whistled  to  his  son  and  continued  to  load  his 
gun.  Corentin  looked  at  Marthe  with  indifference, 
while  his  companion  seemed  charmed  b}T  her ;  but  the 
3'oung  man  noticed  the  signs  of  her  inward  distress, 
which  escaped  the  old  libertine,  who  had,  however, 
noticed  and  feared  the  gun.  The  natures  of  the  two 
men  were  disclosed  in  this  trifling  3-et  important 
circumstance. 

"I've  an  appointment  the  other  side  of  the  forest," 
said  the  bailiff.  "  I  can't  go  with  3-ou,  but  m3T  son  here 
will  take  3^011  to  the  chateau.  How  did  you  get  to 
Gondreville  ?  did  3'ou  come  03'  Cinq-Cygne  ?  " 


An  Historical  Mystery.  27 

"  We  had,  like  j'ourself,  business  in  the  forest,"  said 
Corentin,  without  apparent  sarcasm. 

"Frangois,"  cried  Michu,  "  take  these  gentlemen  to 
the  chateau  by  the  wood  path,  so  that  no  one  sees 
them ;  they  don't  follow  the  beaten  tracks.  Come 
here,"  he  added,  as  the  strangers  turned  to  walk  away, 
talking  together  as  the}'  did  so  in  a  low  voice.  Michu 
caught  the  boy  in  his  arms,  and  kissed  him  almost  sol- 
emnhT  with  an  expression  which  confirmed  his  wife's 
fears ;  cold  chills  ran  down  her  back ;  she  glanced  at 
her  mother  with  haggard  e}'es,  for  she  could  not  weep. 

"  Go,"  said  Miohu  ;  and  he  watched  the  boy  until  he 
was  entirely  out  of  sight.  Couraut  was  barking  on  the 
other  side  of  the  road  in  the  direction  of  Grouage. 
"  Oh,  that's  Violette,"  remarked  Michu.  "This  is 
the  third  time  that  old  fellow  has  passed  here  to-day. 
What 's  in  the  wind?     Hush,  Couraut !  " 

A  few  moments  later  the  trot  of  a  pony  was  heard 
approaching. 


28  An  Historical  Mystery. 


II. 

A  CRIME   RELINQUISHED. 

Violette,  mounted  on  one  of  those  little  nags  which 
the  farmers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Paris  use  so  much, 
soon  appeared,  wearing  a  round  hat  with  a  broad  brim, 
beneath  which  his  wood-colored  face,  deeply  wrinkled, 
appeared  in  shadow.  His  gra}T  eyes,  mischievous  and 
lively,  concealed  in  a  measure  the  treachery  of  his 
nature.  His  skinny  legs,  covered  with  gaiters  of  white 
linen  which  came  to  the  knee,  hung  rather  than  rested 
in  the  stirrups,  seemingly  held  in  place  by  the  weight  of 
his  hob-nailed  shoes.  Above  his  jacket  of  blue  cloth 
he  wore  a  cloak  of  some  coarse  woollen  stuff  woven  in 
black  and  white  stripes.  His  gray  hair  fell  in  curls  be- 
hind his  ears.  This  dress,  the  gray  horse  with  its  short 
legs,  the  manner  in  which  Violette  sat  him,  stomach 
projecting  and  shoulders  thrown  back,  the  big  chapped 
hands  which  held  the  shabby  bridle,  all  depicted  him 
plainly  as  the  grasping,  ambitious  peasant  who  desires 
to  own  land  and  buys  it  at  any  price.  His  mouth,  with 
its  bluish  lips  parted  as  if  a  surgeon  had  pried  them 
open  with  a  scalpel,  and  the  innumerable  wrinkles  of 
his  face  and   forehead  hindered   the  play  of   features 


An  Historical  Mystery.  29 

which  were  expressive  only  in  their  outlines.  Those 
hard,  fixed  lines  seemed  menacing,  in  spite  of  the  humil- 
ity which  country-folks  assume  and  beneath  which 
they  conceal  their  emotions  and  schemes,  as  savages 
and  Easterns  hide  theirs  behind  an  imperturbable  grav- 
ity. First  a  mere  laborer,  then  the  farmer  of  Grouage 
through  a  long  course  of  persistent  ill-doing,  he  con- 
tinued his  evil  practices  after  conquering  a  position 
which  surpassed  his  early  hopes.  He  wished  harm  to 
all  men  and  wished  it  vehemently.  When  he  could 
assist  in  doing  harm  he  did  it  eagerly.  He  was  openly 
envious  ;  but,  no  matter  how  malignant  he  might  be,  he 
kept  within  the  limits  of  the  law,  —  neither  be}*ond  it  nor 
behind  it,  like  a  parliamentary  opposition.  He  believed 
his  prosperit}'  depended  on  the  ruin  of  others,  and  that 
whoever  was  above  him  was  an  enem}r  against  whom 
all  weapons  were  good.  A  character  like  this  is  veiy 
common  among  the   peasantry. 

Violette's  present  business  was  to  obtain  from  Malin 
an  extension  of  the  lease  of  his  farm,  which  had  only 
six  years  longer  to  run.  Jealous  of  the  bailiff's  means, 
he  watched  him  narrowly.  The  neighbors  reproached 
him  for  his  intimacy  with  "  Judas  ;  "  but  the  si}*  old 
farmer,  wishing  to  obtain  a  twelve  }'ears'  lease,  was  really 
lying  in  wait  for  an  opportunity  to  serve  either  the  gov- 
ernment or  Malin,  who  distrusted  Michu.  Violette,  by 
the  help  of  the  game-keeper  of  Gondreville  and  others 


30  An  Historical  Mystery. 

belonging  to  the  estate,  kept  Malin  informed  of  all 
Michu's  actions.  Malin  had  endeavored,  fruitlessly,  to 
win  over  Marianne,  the  Michus'  servant-woman  ;  but  Vio- 
lette  and  his  satellites  heard  everything  from  Gaucher,  — 
a  lad  on  whose  fidelity  Michu  relied,  but  who  betrayed 
him  for  cast-off  clothing,  waistcoats,  buckles,  cotton 
socks  and  sugar-plums.  The  boy  had  no  suspicion  of 
the  importance  of  his  gossip.  Violette  in  his  reports 
blackened  all  Michu's  actions  and  gave  them  a  criminal 
aspect  b}r  absurd  suggestions,  —  unknown,  of  course,  to 
the  bailiff,  who  was  aware,  however,  of  the  base  part 
played  by  the  farmer,  and  took  delight  in  nrystifying 
him. 

"  You  must  have  a  deal  of  business  at  Bellache  to  be 
here  again,"  said  Michu. 

"  Again!  is  that  meant  as  a  reproach,  Monsieur 
Michu? —  Hey!  I  did  not  know  you  had  that  gun. 
You  are  not  going  to  whistle  for  the  sparrows  on  that 
pipe,   I  suppose  —  " 

"  It  grew  in  afield  of  mine  which  bears  guns,"  replied 
Michu.     "  Look  !  this  is  how  I  sow  them." 

The  bailiff  took  aim  at  a  viper  thirty  feet  away  and 
cut  it  in  two. 

"  Have  you  got  that  bandit's  weapon  to  protect  your 
master?"  said  Violette.     "  Perhaps  he  gave  it  to  you." 

"  He  came  from  Pari -s  expressly  to  bring  it  to  me," 
replied  Michu. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  31 

"  People  are  talking  all  round  the  neighborhood  of  this 
journey  of  his ;  some  say  he  is  in  disgrace  and  has  to 
retire  from  office ;  others  that  he  wants  to  see  things 
for  himself  down  here.  But  anyway,  why  does  he  come, 
like  the  First  Consul,  without  giving  warning?  Did 
you   know  he  was  coming?" 

"  I  am  not  on  such  terms  with  him  as  to  be  in  his 
confidence." 

"  Then  you  have  not  seen  him?" 

"  I  did  not  know  he  was  here  till  I  got  back  from  my 
rounds  in  the  forest,"  said  Michu,  reloading  his  gun. 

"  He  has  sent  to  Arcis  for  Monsieur  Grevin,"  said 
Violette ;  "  they  are  scheming  something." 

'*  If  you  are  going  round  by  Cinq-Cygne,  take  me  up 
behind  you,"  said  the  bailiff.     "  I  'm  going  there." 

Violette  was  too  timid  to  have  a  man  of  Michu's 
strength  on  his  crupper,  and  he  spurred  his  beast. 
Judas  slung  his  gun  over  his  shoulder  and  walked 
rapidly  up  the   avenue. 

"Who  can  it  be  that  Michu  is  angry  with?"  said 
Marthe  to  her  mother. 

k<  Ever  since  he  heard  of  Monsieur  Malm's  arrival  he 
has  been  gloomy,"  replied  the  old  woman.  "  But  it  is 
getting  damp  here,  let  us  go  in." 

After  the  two  women  had  settled  themselves  in  the 
chimney  corner  they  heard  Couraut's  bark. 

"  There  's  my  husband  returning  !  "  cried  Marthe. 


32  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Michu  passed  up  the  stairs  ;  his  wife,  uneas}r,  fol- 
lowed him  to  their  bedroom. 

"  See  if  any  one  is  about,"  he  said  to  her,  in  a  voice 
of  some  emotion. 

"  No  one,"  she  replied.  "  Marianne  is  in  the  field 
with  the  cow,  and  Gaucher  —  " 

"  Where  is  Gaucher?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  don't  know." 

"I  distrust  that  little  scamp.  Go  up  in  the  garret, 
look  in  the  hay-loft,  look  everywhere  for  him." 

Marthe  left  the  room  to  obe}*  the  order.  When  she 
returned  she  found  Michu  on  his  knees,  pra}ing. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  she  said,  frightened. 

The  bailiff  took  his  wife  round  the  waist  and  drew 
her  to  him,  saying  in  a  voice  of  deep  feeling :  "If  we 
never  see  each  other  again  remember,  my  poor  wife, 
that  I  loved  you  well.  Follow  minutely  the  instructions 
which  3tou  will  find  in  a  letter  buried  at  the  foot  of  the 
larch  in  that  copse.  It  is  inclosed  in  a  tin  tube.  Do 
not  touch  it  till  after  nry  death.  And  remember, 
Marthe,  whatever  happens  to  me,  that  in  spite  of  man's 
injustice,  my  arm  has  been  the  instrument  of  the  justice 
of  God." 

Marthe,  who  turned  pale  by  degrees,  became  white 
as  her  own  linen ;  she  looked  at  her  husband  with  fixed 
e\'es  widened  by  fear ;  she  tried  to  speak,  but  her  throat 
was  dry.      Michu  disappeared  like  a  shadow,  having 


An  Historical  Mystery,  33 

tied  Couraut  to  the  foot  of  his  bed  where  the  dog,  after 
the  manner  of  all  dogs,  howled  in  despair. 

Michu's  anger  against  Monsieur  Marion  had  serious 
grounds,  but  it  was  now  concentrated  on  another  man, 
far  more  criminal  in  his  eyes, —  on  Malin,  whose  secrets 
were  known  to  the  bailiff,  he  being  in  a  better  position 
than  others  to  understand  the  conduct  of  the  State 
Councillor.  Michu's  father-in-law  had  had,  politically 
speaking,  the  confidence  of  the  former  representative  to 
the  Convention,  through  Grevin. 

Perhaps  it  would  be  well  here  to  relate  the  circum- 
stances which  brought  the  Simeuse  and  Cinq-C3*gne 
families  into  connection  with  Malin,  —  circumstances 
which  weighed  heavily  on  the  fate  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Cinq-Cygne's  twin  cousins,  but  still  more  heavily  on 
that  of  Marthe  and  Michu. 

The  Cinq-Cj'gne  mansion  at  Troyes  stands  opposite 
to  that  of  Simeuse.  When  the  populace,  incited  by 
minds  that  were  as  shrewd  as  the}'  were  cautious,  pil- 
laged the  hotel  Simeuse,  discovered  the  marquis  and 
marchioness,  who  were  accused  of  corresponding  with 
the  nation's  enemies,  and  delivered  them  to  the  national 
guards  who  took  them  to  prison,  the  crowd  shouted, 
u  Now  for  the  Cinq-Cygnes ! "  To  their  minds  the 
Cinq-Cygnes  were  as  guilty  as  other  aristocrats.  The 
brave  and  worth}*  Marquis  de  Simeuse  in  the  endeavor 
to  save  his  two  sons,  then  eighteen  years  of  age,  whose 

3 


34  An  Historical  Mystery. 

courage  was  likely  to  compromise  them,  had  confided 
them,  a  few  hours  before  the  storm  broke,  to  their  aunt, 
the  Comtesse  de  Cinq-Cygne.  Two  servants  attached 
to  the  Simeuse  family  accompanied  the  young  men  to 
her  house.  The  old  marquis,  who  was  anxious  that  his 
name  should  not  die  out,  requested  that  what  was  happen- 
ing might  be  concealed  from  his  sons,  even  in  the  event 
of  dire  disaster.  Laurence,  the  only  daughter  of  the 
Comtesse  de  Cinq-Cygne,  was  then  twelve  years  of  age ; 
her  cousins  both  loved  her  and  she  loved  them,  equally. 
Like  other  twins  the  Simeuse  brothers  were  so  alike 
that  for  a  long  while  their  mother  dressed  them  in  dif- 
ferent colors  to  know  them  apart.  The  first  comer,  the 
eldest,  was  named  Paul-Marie,  the  other  Marie-Paul 
Laurence  de  Cinq-Cj'gne,  to  whom  their  danger  was 
revealed,  played  her  woman's  part  well  though  still 
a  mere  child.  She  coaxed  and  petted  her  cousins. and 
kept  them  occupied  until  the  very  moment  when  the 
populace  surrounded  the  Cinq-Cygne  mansion.  The  two 
brothers  then  knew  their  danger  for  the  first  time,  and 
looked  at  each  other.  Their  resolution  was  instantly 
taken  ;  thev  armed  their  own  servants  and  those  of  the 
Comtesse  de  Cinq-Cygne,  barricaded  the  doors,  and 
stood  guard  at  the  windows,  after  closing  the  wooden 
blinds,  with  the  five  men-servants  and  the  Abbe  d'Haute- 
serre,  a  relative  of  the  Cinq-Cygnes.  These  eight 
courageous  champions   poured  a  deadly  fire   into   the 


An  Historical  Mystery.  35 

crowd.  Every  shot  killed  or  wounded  an  assailant. 
Laurence,  instead  of  wringing  her  hands,  loaded  the 
guns  with  extraordinary  coolness,  and  passed  the  balls 
and  powder  to  those  who  needed  them.  The  Conitesse 
de  Cinq-Cygne  was  on  her  knees. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  mother?  "  said  Laurence. 

"  I  am  praying,"  she  answered,  "for  them  and  for 
you." 

Sublime  words, —  said  also  by  the  mother  of  Godo}r, 
prince  of  the  Peace,  in  Spain,  under  similar  circum- 
stances. 

In  a  moment  eleven  persons  were  killed  and  lying  or* 
the  ground  among  a  number  of  wounded.  Such  results 
either  cool  or  excite  a  populace  ;  either  it  grows  savage 
at  the  work  or  discontinues  it.  On  the  present  occa- 
sion those  in  advance  recoiled  ;  but  the  crowd  behind 
them  were  there  to  kill  and  rob,  and  when  they  saw 
their  own  dead,  they  cried  out:  "Murder!  Murder! 
Revenge !  "  The  wiser  heads  went  in  search  of  the 
representative  to  the  Convention,  Malm.  The  twins» 
by  this  time  aware  of  the  disastrous  events  of  the  da}*, 
suspected  Malin  of  desiring  the  ruin  of  their  family,  and 
of  causing  the  arrest  of  their  parents,  and  the  suspicion 
soon  became  a  certainty.  They  posted  themselves 
beneath  the  porte-cochere,  gun  in  hand,  intending  to 
kill  Malin  as  soon  as  he  made  his  appearance  ;  but  the 
countess  lost  her  head  ;  she  imagined  her  house  in  ashes 


36  An  Historical  Mystery, 

and  her  daughter  assassinated,  and  she  blamed  the 
3Toung  men  for  their  heroic  defence  and  compelled  them 
to  desist.  It  was  Laurence  who  opened  the  door  slightly 
when  Malm  summoned  the  household  to  admit  him. 
Seeing  her,  the  representative  relied  upon  the  awe  he 
expected  to  inspire  in  a  mere  child,  and  he  entered  the 
house.  To  his  first  words  of  inquiry  as  to  wiry  the 
family  were  making  such  resistance,  the  girl  replied  :  "  If 
you  really  desire  to  give  liberty  to  France  how  is  it  that 
you  do  not  protect  us  in  our  homes?  The}'  are  trying 
to  tear  down  this  house,  monsieur,  to  murder  us,  and 
you  say  we  have  no  right  to  oppose  force  to  force ! " 

Malin  stood  rooted  to  the  ground. 

4 'You,  the  son  of  a  mason  employed  by  the  Grand 
Marquis  to  build  his  castle !  "  exclaimed  Marie-Paul, 
"}-ou  have  let  them  drag  our  father  to  prison — you 
have  believed  calumnies  !  " 

"  He  shall  be  released  at  once,"  said  Malin,  who 
thought  himself  lost  when  he  saw  each  youth  clutch  his 
weapon  convulsively. 

' '  You  owe  your  life  to  that  promise,"  said  Marie- 
Paul,  solemnly.  "  If  it  is  not  fulfilled  to-night  we  shall 
find  you  again." 

"  As  to  that  howling  populace,"  said  Laurence,  "  If 
3Tou  do  not  send  them  away,  the  next  blood  will  be  yours. 
Now,  Monsieur  Malin,  leave  this  house !  " 

The  Conventionalist  did  leave  it,  and  he  harangued 


An  Historical  Mystery.  37 

the  crowd,  dwelling  on  the  sacred  rights  of  the  domestic 
hearth,  the  habeas  corpus  and  the  English  "  home." 
He  told  them  that  the  law  and  the  people  were  sover- 
eigns, that  the  law  was  the  people,  and  that  the  people 
could  act  onty  through  the  law,  and  that  power  was 
vested  in  the  lav/.  The  particular  law  of  personal  neces- 
sity made  him  eloquent,  and  he  managed  to  disperse  the 
crowd.  But  he  never  forgot  the  contemptuous  expres- 
sion of  the  two  brothers,  nor  the  "  Leave  this  house !  " 
of  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne.  Therefore,  when  it 
was  a  question  of  selling  the  estates  of  the  Comte  de 
Cinq-Cygne,  Laurence's  brother,  as  national  property, 
the  sale  was  rigorously  made.  The  agents  left  nothing 
for  Laurence  but  the  chateau,  the  park  and  gardens,  and 
one  farm  called  that  of  Cinq-Cygne.  Maliii  instructed 
the  appraisers  that  Laurence  had  no  rights  be}  ond  her 
legal  share,  —  the  nation  taking  possession  of  all  that 
belonged  to  her  brother,  who  had  emigrated  and,  above 
all,  had  borne  arms  against  the  Republie. 

The  evening  after  this  terrible  tumult,  Laurence  so 
entreated  her  cousins  to  leave  the  country,  fearing 
treachery  on  the  part  of  Malin,  or  some  trap  into  which 
they  might  fall,  that  they  took  horse  that  night  and 
gained  the  Prussian  outposts.  The}'  had  scarcely 
reached  the  forest  of  Gondreville  before  the  hotel  Cinq- 
Cygne  was  surrounded ;  Malin  came  himself  to  arrest 
the  heirs  of  the  house  of  Simeuse.     He  dared  not  lay 


38  An  Historical  Mystery. 

hands  on  the  Comtesse  de  Cinq-Cygne,  who  was  in  bed 
with  a  nervous  fever,  nor  on  Laurence,  a  child  of 
twelve.  The  servants,  fearing  the  severity  of  the 
Republic,  had  disappeared.  The  next  day  the  news  of 
the  resistance  of  the  brothers  and  their  flight  to  Prussia 
was  known  to  the  neighborhood.  A  crowd  of  three 
thousand  persons  assembled  before  the  hotel  de  Cinq- 
Cygne,  which  was  demolished  with  incredible  rapidity, 
Madame  de  Cinq-C}Tgne,  carried  to  the  hotel  Simeuse, 
died  there  from  the  effects  of  the  fever  aggravated  \>y 
terror. 

Michu  did  not  appear  in  the  political  arena  until  after 
these  events,  for  the  marquis  and  his  wife  remained  in 
prison  over  five  months.  During  this  time  Malin  was 
awa}'  on  a  mission.  But  when  Monsieur  Marion  sold 
Gondreville  to  the  Councillor  of  State,  Michu  under- 
stood the  latter's  game,  —  or  rather,  he  thought  he  did  ; 
for  Malin  was,  like  Fouche,  one  of  those  personages 
who  are  of  such  depth  in  all  their  different  aspects  that 
the\T  are  impenetrable  when  they  play  a  part,  and  are 
never  understood  until  long  after  their  drama  is  ended. 

In  all  the  chief  circumstances  of  Malin's  life  he  had 
never  failed  to  consult  his  faithful  friend  Grevin,  the 
notary  of  Arcis,  whose  judgment  on  men  and  things 
was,  at  a  distance,  clear-cut  and  precise.  This  faculty 
is  the  wisdom  and  makes  the  strength  of  second-rate 
men.      Now,   in   November,    1803,   a   combination  of 


An  Historical  Mystery.  39 

events  (already  related  in  the  "Depute  d'Arcis")  made 
matters  so  serious  for  the  Councillor  of  State  that  a 
letter  might  have  compromised  the  two  friends.  Malin, 
who  hoped  to  be  appointed  senator,  was  afraid  to  offer 
his  explanations  in  Paris.  He  came  to  Gondreville, 
giving  the  First  Consul  only  one  of  the  reasons  that 
made  him  wish  to  be  there ;  that  reason  gave  him  an 
"appearance  of  zeal  in  the  e\'es  of  Bonaparte  ;  whereas 
his  journey,  far  from  concerning  the  interests  of  the 
State,  related  to  his  own  interests  only.  On  this  par- 
ticular day,  as  Michu  was  watching  the  park  and  expect- 
ing, after  ^he  manner  of  a  red  Indian,  a  propitious 
moment  for  his  vengeance,  the  astute  Malin,  accus- 
tomed to  turn  all  events  to  his  own  profit,  was  leading 
his  friend  Grevin  to  a  little  field  in  the  English  garden,  a 
lonel}T  spot  in  the  park,  favorable  for  secret  conference. 
There,  standing  in  the  centre  of  the  grass  plot  and 
speaking  low,  the  friends  were  at  too  great  a  distance 
to  be  overheard  if  any  one  were  lurking  near  enough  to 
listen  to  them  ;  they  were  also  sure  of  time  to  change 
the  conversation  if  others  unwarily  approached. 

"  Why  could  n't  we  have  stayed  in  a  room  in  the 
chateau?"  asked  Grevin. 

"  Did  n't  you  take  notice  of  those  two  men  whom  the 
prefect  of  police  has  sent  here  to  me?" 

Though  Fouche  made  himself  in  the  matter  of  the 
Pichegru,   Georges,  Moreau,  and  Polignac  conspiracy 


40  An  Historical  Mystery, 

the  soul  of  the  Consular  cabinet,  he  did  not  at  this 
control  the  ministry  of  police,  but  was  merely  a  coun- 
cillor of  State  like  Malin. 

"Those  men,"  continued  Malin,  "  are  Fouche's  two 
arms.  One,  that  young  eland}7  Corentin,  whose  face  is 
like  a  glass  of  lemonade,  vinegar  on  his  lips  and  ver- 
juice in  his  eyes,  put  an  end  to  the  insurrection  at  the 
West  in  the  year  VII.  in  less  than  fifteen  days.  The 
other  is  a  disciple  of  Lenoir ;  he  is  the  only  one  who 
preserves  the  great  traditions  of  the  police.  I  had 
asked  for  an  agent  of  no  great  account,  backed  by 
some  official  personage,  and  they  send  me#those  past- 
masters  of  the  business  !  Ah,  Grevin,  Fouche  wants  to 
pry  into  my  game.  That 's  why  1  left  those  fellows 
dining  at  the  chateau ;  they  may  look  into  everything 
for  all  I  care  ;  they  won't  find  Louis  XVIII.  nor  any 
sign  of  him." 

"But  see  here,  my  dear  fellow,  what  game  are  you 
playing  ?  "  cried  Grevin. 

"  Ha,  my  friend,  a  double  game  is  a  dangerous  one, 
but  this,  taking  Fouche  into  account,  is  a  triple  one. 
He  may  have  nosed  the  fact  that  I  am  in  the  secrets  of 
the  house  of  Bourbon." 

"You?" 

"  I,"  replied  Malin. 

"  Have  vou  forgotten  Favras?" 

The  words  made  an  impression  on  the  councillor. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  41 

"  Since  when?  "  asked  Grevin,  after  a  pause. 

"  Since  the  Consulate  for  life." 

"  I  hope  there  's  no  proof  of  it?  " 

"Not  that!"  said  Malin,  clicking  his  thumb-nail 
against  his  teeth. 

In  few  words  the  Councillor  of  State  gave  a  clear  and 
succinct  account  of  the  critical  position  in  which  Bona- 
parte was  about  to  hold  England,  by  threatening  her 
with  invasion  from  the  camp  at  Boulogne  ;  he  explained 
to  Grevin  the  bearings  of  that  project,  which  was  un- 
observed by  France  and  Europe  but  suspected  b}r  Pitt ; 
also  the  critical  position  in  which  England  was  about  to 
put  Bonaparte.  A  powerful  coalition,  Prussia,  Austria, 
and  Russia,  paid  by  English  gold,  was  pledged  to  fur- 
nish seven  hundred  thousand  men  under  arms.  At  the 
same  time  a  formidable  conspiracy  was  throwing  a  net- 
work over  the  whole  of  France,  including  among  its 
members  montagnards,  chouans,  royalists,  and  their 
princes. 

"  Louis  XVIII.  held  that  as  long  as  there  were  three 
Consuls  anarch}'  was  certain,  and  that  he  could  at  some 
opportune  moment  take  his  revenge  for  the  13th  Vende- 
miaire  and  the  18th  Fructidor,"  said  Malin,  "  but  the 
Consulate  for  life  has  unmasked  Bonaparte's  intentions 
—  he  will  soon  be  emperor.  The  late  sub-lieutenant 
means  to  create  a  dynasty !  This  time  his  life  is  in 
actual  danger ;    and   the   plot  is  far  better   laid   than 


42  An  Historical  Mystery. 

that  of  the  Rue  Saint-Nicaise.  Pichegru,  Georges, 
Moreau,  the  Due  d'Enghien,  Polignae  and  Riviere,  the 
two  friends  of  the  Comte  d'Artois  are  in  it." 

"  What  an  amalgamation  !  "  cried  Grevin. 

1 '  France  is  being  silently  invaded ;  no  stone  is  left 
unturned ;  the  thing  will  be  carried  with  a  rush.  A 
hundred  picked  men,  commanded  by  Georges,  are  to 
attack  the  Consular  guard  and  the  Consul  hand  to 
hand." 

"  Well  then,  denounce  them." 

1 '  For  the  last  two  months  the  Consul,  his  minister  of 
police,  the  prefect  and  Fouche,  hold  some  of  the  clues 
of  this  vast  conspiracy ;  but  the}'  don't  know  its  full 
extent,  and  at  this  particular  moment  the}*  are  leaving 
nearly  all  the  conspirators  free,  so  as  to  discover  more 
about  it." 

"As  to  rights,"  said  the  notaiy,  "  the  Bourbons  have 
much  more  right  to  conceive,  plan,  and  execute  a 
scheme  against  Bonaparte,  than  Bonaparte  had  on  the 
18th  Brumaire  against  the  Republic,  whose  product  he 
was.  He  murdered  his  mother  on  that  occasion,  but 
these  royalists  onl}*  seek  to  recover  what  was  theirs.  I 
can  understand  that  the  princes  and  their  adherents, 
seeing  the  lists  of  the  emigres  closed,  mortgages  sup- 
pressed, the  Catholic  faith  restored,  anti-revolutionary 
decrees  accumulating,  should  begin  to  see  that  their 
return    is   becoming   difficult,  not  to   say   impossible. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  .   43 

Bonaparte  being  the  sole  obstacle  now  in  their  way,  they 
want  to  get  rid  of  him  —  nothing  simpler.  Conspirators 
if  defeated  are  brigands,  if  successful,  heroes  ;  and  your 
perplexit}r  seems  to  me  very  natural." 

"  The  matter  now  is,"  said  Malin,  "  to  make  Bona- 
parte fling  the  head  of  the  Due  d'Enghien  at  the  Bour- 
bons, just  as  the  Convention  flung  the  head  of  Louis 
XVI.  at  the  kings,  so  as  to  commit  him  as  full}'  as  we 
are  to  the  Revolution  ;  or  else,  we  must  upset  the  idol  of 
the  French  people  and  their  future  emperor,  and  seat  the 
true  throne  upon  his  ruins.  I  am  at  the  mercy  of  some 
event,  some  fortunate  pistol-shot,  some  infernal  machine 
which  does  its  work.  Even  I  don't  know  the  whole 
conspiracy ;  they  don't  tell  me  all ;  but  they  have 
asked  me  to  call  the  Council  of  State  at  the  critical 
moment  and  direct  its  action  towards  the  restoration  of 
the  Bourbons." 

"  Wait,"  said  the  notary. 

"  Impossible  !  I  am  compelled  to  make  ray  decision 
at  once." 

"Why?" 

"  Well,  the  Simeuse  brothers  are  in  the  conspiracy  ; 
they  are  here  in  the  neighborhood  ;  I  must  either  have 
them  watched,  let  them  compromise  themselves,  and  so 
be  rid  of  them,  or  else  I  must  privately  protect  them. 
I  asked  the  prefect  for  underlings  and  he  has  sent  me 
lynxes,  who  came  through  Troyes  and  have  got  the 
gendarmerie  to  support  them." 


44  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Gondreville  is  your  real  object,"  said  Grevin, 
thoughtfully,  "  and  this  conspirac}-  your  best  chance  of 
keeping  it.  Fouche,  Talleyrand,  and  those  two  fellows 
have  nothing  to  do  with  that.  Therefore  play  fair  with 
them.  What  nonsense !  those  who  cut  Louis  XVI. 's 
head  off  are  in  the  government ;  France  is  full  of  men 
who  have  bought  national  property,  and  yet  }'Ou  talk  of 
bringing  back  those  who  would  require  you  to  give  up 
Gondreville  !  If  the  Bourbons  were  not  imbeciles  they 
would  pass  a  sponge  over  all  we  have  done.  Warn 
Bonaparte,  that 's  nry  advice." 

wt  A  man  of  nry  rank  can't  denounce,"  said  Malin, 
quickly. 

"  Your  rank  !  "  exclaimed  Grevin,  smiling. 

"  They  have  offered  to  make  me  Keeper  of  the 
Seals." 

"  Ah  !  Now  I  understand  3'our  bewilderment,  and  it 
is  for  me  to  see  clear  in  this  political  darkness  and  find 
a  way  out  for  you.  Now,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  fore- 
see what  events  may  happen  to  bring  back  the  Bour- 
bons when  a  General  Bonaparte  is  in  possession  of 
eighty  line  of  battle  ships  and  four  hundred  thousand 
men.  The  most  difficult  thing  of  all  in  expectant  poli- 
tics is  to  know  when  a  power  that  totters  will  fall ;  but, 
my  old  man,  Bonaparte's  power  is  not  tottering,  it  is  in 
the  ascendant.  Don't  you  think  that  Fouche  may  be 
sounding  you  so  as  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  your  mind, 
and  then  get  rid  of  you  ?  " 


An  Historical  Mystery.  45 

"  No  ;  I  am  sure  of  my  go-between.  Besides,  Fouche 
would  never,  under  those  circumstances,  send  me  such* 
fellows  as  these  ;  he  would  know  they  would  make  me 
suspicious." 

"They  alarm  me,"  said  Grevin.  "If  Fouche  does 
not  distrust  you,  and  is  not  seeking  to  probe  you,  why 
does  he  send  them  ?  Fouche  does  n't  play  such  a  trick 
as  that  without  a  motive  ;  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  What  decides  me,"  said  Malin,  "  is  that  I  should 
never  be  easy  with  those  two  Simeuse  brothers  in 
France.  Perhaps  Fouche,  who  knows  how  I  am  placed 
towards  them,  wants  to  make  sure  they  don't  escape 
him,  and  hopes  through  them  to  reach  the  Condes." 

"  That's  right,  old  fellow  ;  it  is  not  under  Bonaparte 
that  the  present  possessor  of  Gondreville  can  be 
ousted." 

Just  then  Malin,  happening  to  look  up,  saw  the 
muzzle  of  a  gun  through  the  foliage  Of  a  tall  linden. 

"  I  was  not  mistaken,  I  thought  I  heard  the  click  of 
a  trigger,"  he  said  to  Grevin,  after  getting  behind  the 
trunk  of  a  large  tree,  where  the  notar}*,  uneasy  at  his 
friend's  sudden  movement,   followed  him. 

"  It  is  Michu,"  said  Grevin  ;  "  I  see  his  red  beard." 

•*  Don't  let  us  seem  afraid,"  said  Malin,  who  walked 
slowly  away,  saying  at  intervals:  "Why  is  that  man 
so  bitter  against  the  owners  of  this  propeity?  It  was 
not  you  he  was  covering.     If  he  overheard  us  he  had 


46  An  Historical  Mystery, 

better  ask  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  !  Who  the 
devil  would  have  thought  of  looking  up  into  the  trees  !  " 

"There's  always  something  to  learn,"  said  the 
notary.  "  But  he  was  a  good  distance  off,  and  we 
spoke  low." 

"  I  shall  tell  Corentin  about  it,"  replied  Malin. 


An  Historical  Mystery,  47 


III. 

THE  MASK  THROWN  OFF. 

A  few  moments  later  Michu  returned  home,  his  face 
pale,  his  features  contracted. 

44  What  is  the  matter?  "  said  his  wife,  frightened. 

"  Nothing,"  he  replied,  seeing  Violette  whose  pres- 
ence silenced  him. 

Michu  took  a  chair  and  sat  down  quietly  before  the 
fire,  into  which  he  threw  a  letter  which  he  drew  from  a 
tin  tube  such  as  are  given  to  soldiers  to  hold  their 
papers.  This  act,  which  enabled  Marthe  to  draw  a 
long  breath  like  one  relieved  of  a  great  burden,  greatly 
puzzled  Violette.  The  bailiff  laid  his  gun  on  the  man- 
tel-shelf with  admirable  composure.  Marianne  the  ser- 
vant, and  Marthe's  mother  were  spinning  by  the  light  of 
a  lamp. 

"Come,  Frangois,"  said  the  father,  presenthT,  "  it  is 
time  to  go  to  bed." 

He  lifted  the  boy  roughly  by  the  middle  of  his  body 
and  carried  him  off. 

"  Run  down  to  the  cellar,"  he  whispered,  when  they 
reached  the  stairs.  "  Empt}r  one  third  out  of  two  bot- 
tles of  the   Macon  wine,  and  fill  up  with  the  Cognac 


48  An  Historical  Mystery, 

brandy  which  is  on  the  shelf.  Then  mix  a  bottle  of 
white  wine  with  one  half  brandy.  Do  it  neatly,  and 
put  the  three  bottles  on  the  empty  cask  which  stands 
hy  the  cellar  door.  When  you  hear  me  open  the  win- 
dow in  the  kitchen  come  out  of  the  cellar,  run  to  the 
stable,  saddle  m}*  horse,  mount  it,  and  go  and  wait  for 
me  at  Poteaudes-Gueux  —  That  little  scamp  hates  to 
go  to  bed,"  said  Michu,  returning ;  "he  likes  to  do  as 
grown  people  do,  see  all,  hear  all,  and  know  all.  You 
spoil  my  people,  pere  Violette." 

"  Goodness  !  "  cried  Violette,  "  what  has  loosened 
your  tongue?     I  never  heard  you  say  as  much  before." 

"  Do  you  suppose  I  let  myself  be  spied  upon  without 
taking  notice  of  it?  You  are  on  the  wrong  side,  pere 
Violette.  If,  instead  of  serving  those  who  hate  me, 
you  were  on  m}T  side  I  could  do  better  for  you  than 
renew  that  lease  of  }Tours." 

4 'How?"  said  the  peasant,  opening  wide  his  avari- 
cious eyes. 

"  I  '11  sell  you  my  propert}'  cheap." 

"  Nothing  is  cheap  when  we  have  to  pa}',"  said 
Violette,   sententiously 

"  I  want  to  leave  the  neighborhood,  and  I  '11  let  you 
have  my  farm  of  Mousseau,  the  buildings,  granary,  and 
cattle  for  fifty  thousand  francs." 

''Really?" 

' '  Does  that  suit  you  ?  " 


An  Historical  Mystery.  49 

•«  Hang  it !     I  must  think  —  " 

44  We  '11  talk  about  it  —  I  shall  want  earnest  money." 

"  I  have  no  monej-." 

44  Well,  a  note." 

44  Can't  give  it." 

44  Tell  me  who  sent  you  here  to-day." 

44 1  am  on  my  way  back  from  where  I  went  this  after- 
noon, and  I  only  stopped  in  to  sa}-  good-evening." 

44  Back  without  your  horse?  What  a  fool  you  must 
take  me  for !  You  are  lying,  and  you  shall  not  have 
my  farm." 

44  Well,  to  tell  3tou  the  truth,  it  was  Monsieur  Grevin 
who  sent  me.  He  said  '  Violette,  we  want  Michu ;  do 
you  go  and  get  him  ;  if  he  is  n't  at  home,  wait  for  him.' 
I  saw  I  should  have  to  stay  here  all  this  evening." 

44  Are  those  sharks  from  Paris  still  at  the  chateau?  " 

44  Ah!  that  I  don't  know;  but  there  were  people 
in  the  salon." 

44  You  shall  have  my  farm;  we'll  settle  the  terms 
now.  Wife,  go  and  get  some  wine  to  wash  down  the 
contract.  Take  the  best  Roussillon,  the  wine  of  the  ex- 
marquis, —  we  are  not  babes.  You'll  find  a  couple  of 
bottles  on  the  empty  cask  near  the  door,  and  a  bottle  of 
white  wine." 

44  Very  good,"  said  Violette,  who  never  got  drunk. 
44  Let  us  drink." 

44  You  have  fifty  thousand  francs  beneath  the  floor  of 

4 


50  An  Historical  Mystery. 

your  bedroom  under  your  bed,  pere  Violette  ;  you  will 
give  theni  to  me  two  weeks  after  we  sign  the  deed  of 
sale  before  Grevin  — "  Violette  stared  at  Michu  and 
grew  livid.  "Ah!  you  came  here  to  sp}r  upon  a 
Jacobin  who  had  the  honor  to  be  president  of  the  club 
at  Arcis,  and  you  imagine  he  will  let  you.  get  the  better 
of  him  !  I  have  eyes,  I  saw  where  your  tiles  have  been 
freshly  cemented,  and  I  concluded  that  you  did  not  pry 
them  up  to  plant  wheat  under  there.     Come,  drink." 

Violette,  much  troubled,  drank  a  large  glass  of  wine 
without  noticing  the  quality  ;  terror  had  put  a  hot  iron 
in  his  stomach,  the  brand}7  was  not  hotter  than  his 
cupidity.  He  would  have  given  many  things  to  be 
safety  home  and  able  to  change  the  hiding-place  of  his 
treasure.     The  three  women  smiled. 

"Do  you  like  that  wine?"  said  Michu,  refilling  his 
glass. 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

After  a  good  half-hour's  discussion  on  the  time  when 
the  buyer  might  take  possession,  and  on  the  various 
punctilios  which  the  peasantry  bring  forward  when  con- 
cluding a  bargain,  —  in  the  midst  of  assertions  and 
counter-assertions,  the  filling  and  emptying  of  glasses, 
the  giving  of  promises  and  denials,  Violette  suddenly  fell 
forward  with  his  head  on  the  table,  not  tipsy,  but  dead- 
drunk.  The  instant  that  Michu  saw  his  eyes  blur  he 
opened  the  window. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  51 

"  Where  's  that  scamp  Gaucher?"  he  said  to  his 
wife. 

"  In  bed." 

"  You,  Marianne,"  said  the  bailiff  to  his  faithful  ser- 
vant, "  stand  in  front  of  his  door  and  watch  him.  You, 
mother,  stay  down  here,  and  keep  an  e}re  on  this  spy ; 
keep  }'our  eyes  and  ears  open  and  don't  unfasten  the 
door  to  an}T  one  but  Frangois.  It  is  a  question  of  life 
or  death,"  he  added,  in  a  deep  voice.  "  Even*  creature 
beneath  my  roof  must  remember  that  I  have  not  quitted 
it  this  night ;  all  of  you  must  assert  that  —  even  though 
3'our  heads  were  on  the  block.  Come,"  he  said  to 
Marthe,  "  come,  wife,  put  on  your  shoes,  take  your  coif, 
and  let  us  be  off!     No  questions  —  I  go  with  you." 

For  the  last  three  quarters  of  an  hour  the  man's 
demeanor  and  glance  were  of  despotic  authority,  all- 
powerful,  irresistible,  drawn  from  the  same  mysterious 
source  from  which  great  generals  on  fields  of  battle  who 
inflame  an  army,  great  orators  inspiring  vast  audi- 
ences, and  (it  must  be  said)  great  criminals  perpetrating 
bold  crimes  derive  their  inspiration.  At  such  times 
invincible  influence  seems  to  exhale  from  the  head  and 
issue  from  the  tongue  ;  the  gesture  even  can  inject  the 
will  of  the  one  man  into  others.  The  three  women 
knew  that  some  dreadful  crisis  was  at  hand  ;  without 
warning  of  its  nature  they  felt  it  in  the  rapid  actions  of 
the   man,  whose   countenance   shone,  whose    forehead 

ttwtVEBSITI 


52  An  Historical  Mystery, 

spoke,  whose  brilliant  eyes  glittered  like  stars ;  they 
saw  it  in  the  sweat  that  covered  his  brow  to  the  roots 
of  his  hair,  while  more  than  once  his  voice  vibrated 
with  impatience  and  fury.  Marthe  obe3^ed  passively. 
Armed  to  the  teeth  and  with  his  gun  over  his  shoulder 
Michu,  dashed  into  the  avenue,  followed  hy  his  wife. 
They  soon  reached  the  cross-roads  where  Frangois  was 
in  waiting  hidden  among  the  bushes. 

"  The  bo}~  is  intelligent,"  said  Michu,  when  he  caught 
sight  of  him. 

These  were  his  first  words.  His  wife  had  rushed 
after  him,  unable  to  speak. 

"  Go  back  to  the  house,  hide  in  a  thick  tree,  and 
watch  the  country  and  the  park,"  he  said  to  his  son. 
"  We  have  all  gone  to  bed,  no  one  is  stirring.  Your 
grandmother  will  not  open  the  door  until  you  ask  her  to 
let  }tou  in.  Remember  every  word  I  sa}'  to  }Tou.  The 
life  of  your  father  and  }Tour  mother  depends  on  it.  No 
one  must  know  we  did  not  sleep  at  home." 

After  whispering  these  words  to  the  boy,  who  in- 
stantly disappeared  in  the  forest  like  an  eel  in  the  mud, 
Michu  turned  to  his  wife. 

"■Mount  behind  me,"  he  said,  "  and  pray  that  God 
be  with  us.  Sit  firm,  the  beast  may  die  of  it."  So 
sa}Ting  he  kicked  the  horse  with  both  heels,  pressing 
him  with  his  powerful  knees,  and  the  animal  sprang 
forward  with  the  rapidity  of  a  hunter,  seeming  to  under- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  53 

stand  what  his  master  wanted  of  him,  and  crossed  th 
forest  in  fifteen  minutes.  Then  Michu,  who  had  no. 
swerved  from  the  shortest  way,  pulled  up,  found  a  spo 
at  the  edge  of  the  woods  from  which  he  could  see  the 
roofs  of  the  chateau  of  Cinq-C3'gne  lighted  by  the  moon, 
tied  his  horse  to  a  tree,  and  followed  by  his  wife, 
gained  a  little  eminence  which  overlooked  the  valley. 

The  chateau,  which  Marthe  and  Michu  looked  at 
together  for  a  moment,  makes  a  charming  effect  in  the 
landscape.  Though  it  has  little  extent  and  is  of  no 
importance  whatever  as  architecture,  }'et  archseologi- 
cally  it  is  not  without  a  certain  interest.  This  old  edi- 
fice of  the  fifteenth  century,  placed  on  an  eminence, 
surrounded  on  all  sides  b}7  a  moat,  or  rather  by  deep, 
wide  ditches  always  full  of  water,  is  built  in  cobble- 
stones buried  in  cement,  the  walls  being  seven  feet 
thick.  Its  simplicity  recalls  the  rough  and  warlike  life 
of  feudal  days.  The  chateau,  plain  and  unadorned,  has 
two  large  reddish  towers  at  either  end,  connected  by  a 
long  main  building  with  casement  windows,  the  stone 
mullions  of  which,  being  roughly  carved,  bear  some 
resemblance  to  vine-shoots.  The  stairway  is  outside 
the  house,  at  the  middle,  in  a  sort  of  pentagonal  tower 
entered  through  a  small  arched  door.  The  interior  of 
the  ground-floor  together  with  the  rooms  on  the  first 
stoiy  were  modernized  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  and 
the  whole  building  is  surmounted  by  an  immense  roof 


54  An  Historical  Mystery, 

broken  by  casement  windows  with  carved  triangular 
pediments.  Before  the  castle  lies  a  vast  green  sward 
the  trees  of  which  had  recently  been  cut  down.  On 
either  side  of  the  entrance  bridge  are  two  small  dwel- 
lings where  the  gardeners  live,  connected  across  the 
road  by  a  paltry  iron  railing  without  character,  evi- 
dently modern.  To  right  and  left  of  the  lawn,  which  is 
divided  in  two  by  a  paved  road-way,  are  the  stables, 
cow-sheds,  barns,  wood-house,  bakery,  poultry-yard, 
and  the  offices,  placed  in  what  were  doubtless  the 
remains  of  two  wings  of  the  old  building  similar  to 
those  that  were  still  standing.  The  two  large  towers, 
with  their  pepper-pot  roofs  which  had  not  been  rased, 
and  the  belfry  of  the  middle  tower,  gave  an  air  of  dis- 
tinction to  the  village.  The  church,  also  very  old, 
showed  near  by  its  pointed  steeple,  which  harmonized 
well  with  the  solid  masses  of  the  castle.  The  moon 
brought  out  in  full  relief  the  various  roofs  and  towers 
on  which  it  played  and  sparkled. 

Michu  gazed  at  this  baronial  structure  in  a  manner 
that  upset  all  his  wife's  ideas  about  him  ;  his  face,  now 
calm,  wore  a  look  of  hope  and  also  a  sort  of  pride.  His 
eyes  scanned  the  horizon  with  a  glance  of  defiance ;  he 
listened  for  sounds  in  the  air.  It  was  now  nine  o'clock ; 
the  moon  was  beginning  to  cast  its  light  upon  the  mar- 
gin of  the  forest  and  to  illumine  the  little  bluff  on  which 
the}T  stood.     The  position  struck  him  as  dangerous  and 


An  Historical  Mystery.  55 

he  left  it,  fearful  of  being  seen.  But  no  suspicious 
noise  troubled  the  peace  of  the  beautiful  valley  en- 
circled on  this  side  by  the  forest  of  Nodesme.  Marthe, 
exhausted  and  trembling,  was  awaiting  some  explana- 
tion of  their  hurried  ride.  What  was  she  engaged  in? 
Was  she  to  aid  in  a  good  deed  or  an  evil  one  ?  At  that 
instant  Michu  bent  to  his  wife's  ear  and  whispered :  — 

"  Go  to  the  house  and  ask  to  speak  to  the  Comtesse 
de  Cinq-Cygne  ;  when  3'ou  see  her  beg  her  to  speak  to 
3'ou  alone.  If  no  one  can  overhear  3*011,  say  to  her : 
'  Mademoiselle,  the  lives  of  your  two  cousins  are  in 
danger,  and  he  who  can  explain  the  how  and  wh}-  is 
waiting  to  speak  to  3*011.'  If  she  seems  afraid,  if  she 
distrusts  3*011,  add  these  words :  '  The3*  are  conspiring 
against  the  First  Consul  and  the  conspiracy  is  discov- 
ered.' Don't  give  3'our  name ;  the3'  distrust  us  too 
much." 

Marthe  raised  her  face  towards  her  husband  and 
said :  — 

"  Can  it  be  that  3*ou  serve  them?  " 

--  What  if  I  do?  "  he  said,  frowning,  taking  her  words 
as  a  reproach. 

-'You  don't  understand  me,"  cried  Marthe,  seizing 
his  large  hand  and  falling  on  her  knees  beside  him  as 
she  kissed  it  and  covered  it  with  her  tears. 

"  Go,  go,  3'ou  shall  cr3*  later,"  he  said,  kissing  her 
vehementlv. 


56  An  Historical  Mystery. 

When  he  no  longer  heard  her  step  his  e}Tes  filled  with 
tears.  He  had  distrusted  Marthe  on  account  of  her 
father's  opinions ;  he  had  hidden  the  secrets  of  his  life 
from  her  ;  but  the  beauty  of  her  simple  nature  had  sud- 
denly appeared  to  him,  just  as  the  grandeur  of  his  had, 
as  suddenly,  revealed  itself  to  her.  Marthe  had  passed 
in  a  moment  from  the  deep  humiliation  caused  by  the 
degradation  of  the  man  whose  name  she  bore,  to  the 
exaltation  given  by  a  sense  of  his  nobleness.  The 
change  was  instantaneous,  without  transition ;  it  was 
enough  to  make  her  tremble.  She  told  him  later  that 
she  went,  as  it  were,  through  blood  from  the  pavilion 
to  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and  there  was  lifted  to  heaven, 
in  a  moment,  among  the  angels.  Michu,  who  had 
known  he  was  not  appreciated,  and  who  mistook  his 
wife's  grieved  and  melancholy  manner  for  lack  of  affec- 
tion, and  had  left  her  to  herself,  living  chiefly  out  of 
doors  and  reserving  all  his  tenderness  for  his  boy, 
instantly  understood  the  meaning  of  her  tears.  She 
had  cursed  the  part  which  her  beauty  and  her  father's 
will  had  forced  her  to  take ;  but  now  happiness,  in 
the  midst  of  this  great  storm,  pla}Ted,  with  a  beautiful 
flame  like  a  vivid  lightning,  about  them.  And  it  was 
lightning !  Each  thought  of  the  ten  years  of  miscon- 
ception, and  they  blamed  themselves  only.  Michu  stood 
motionless,  his  elbow  on  his  gun,  his  chin  on  his  elbow, 
lost  in  deep  reveiy.     Such  a  moment  in  a  man's  life 


An  Historical  Mystery.  57 

makes  him  willing  to  accept  the  saddest  moments  of  a 
painful  past. 

Marthe,  agitated  by  the  same  thoughts  as  those  of 
her  husband,  was  also  troubled  in  heart  by  the  danger 
of  the  Simeuse  brothers ;  for  she  now  understood  all, 
even  the  faces  of  the  two  Parisians,  though  she  still 
could  not  explain  to  herself  her  husband's  gun.  She 
darted  forward  like  a  doe,  and  soon  reached  the  road 
to  the  chateau.  There  she  was  surprised  by  the  steps 
of  a  man  following  behind  her  ;  she  turned,  with  a  cry, 
and  her  husband's  large  hand  closed  her  mouth. 

"  From  the  hill  up  there  I  saw  the  silver  lace  of  the 
gendarmes'  hats.  Go  in  by  the  breach  in  the  moat 
between  Mademoiselle's  tower  and  the  stables.  The 
dogs  won't  bark  at  you.  Go  through  the  garden  and 
call  the  countess  by  the  window ;  order  them  to  saddle 
her  horse,  and  ask  her  to  come  out  through  the  breach. 
I'll  be  there,  after  discovering  what  the  Parisians  are 
planning  and  how  to  escape  them." 

Danger,  which  seemed  to  be  rolling  like  an  avalanche 
upon  them,  gave  wings  to  Marthe's  feet. 


58  An  Historical  Mystery. 


IV. 

LAURENCE  DE  CINQ-CYGNE. 

The  old  Frank  name  of  the  Cinq-Cygnes  and  the 
Chargeboeufs  was  Duineff.  Cinq-Cygne  became  that  of 
the  younger  branch  of  the  Chargeboeufs  after  the  de- 
fence of  a  castle  made,  during  their  father's  absence,  b}T 
five  daughters  of  that  race,  all  remarkably  fair,  and  of 
whom  no  one  expected  such  heroism.  One  of  the  first 
Comtes  de  Champagne  wished,  by  bestowing  this  pretty 
name,  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  deed  as  long 
as  the  family  existed.  Laurence,  the  last  of  her  race, 
was,  contrary  to  Salic  law,  heiress  of  the  name,  the 
arms,  and  the  manor.  She  was  therefore  Comtesse 
de  Cinq-Cygne  in  her  own  right ;  her  husband  would 
have  to  take  both  her  name  and  her  blazon,  which  bore 
for  device  the  glorious  answer  made  03-  the  elder  of  the 
five  sisters  when  summoned  to  surrender  the  castle, 
"  We  die  singing."  Worthy  descendant  of  these  noble 
heroines x  Laurence  was  fair  and  lily-white  as  though 
nature  had  made  her  for  a  wager.  The  lines  of  her 
blue  veins  could  be  seen  through  the  delicate  close  text- 
ure of  her  skin.  Her  beautiful  golden  hair  harmonized 
delightfully  with  eyes  of  the  deepest  blue.     Everything 


An  Historical  Mystery.  59 

about  her  belonged  to  the  type  of  delicacy.  Within 
that  fragile  though  active  body,  and  in  defiance  as  it 
were  of  its  pearly  whiteness,  lived  a  soul  like  that  of  a 
man  of  noble  nature  ;  but  no  one,  not  oven  a  close 
observer,  would  have  suspected  it  from  the  gentle  coun- 
tenance and  rounded  features  which,  when  seen  in  pro- 
file, bore  some  slight  resemblance  to  those  of  a  lamb. 
This  extreme  gentleness,  though  noble,  had  something 
of  the  stupidity  of  the  little  animal.  "  I  look  like  a 
dreamy  sheep,"  she  would  say,  smiling.  Laurence,  who 
talked  little,  seemed  not  so  much  dream}-  as  dormant. 
But,  did  any  important  circumstance  arise,  the  hidden 
Judith  was  revealed,  sublime ;  and  circumstances  had, 
unfortunately,  not  been  wanting. 

At  thirteen  years  of  age,  Laurence,  after  the  events 
already  related,  was  an  orpjiaji  living  in  a  house  oppo- 
site to  the  empty  space  where  so  recently  had  stood  one 
of  the  most  curious  specimens  in  France  of  sixteenth- 
century  architecture,  the  hotel  Cinq-Cygne.  Monsieur 
d'Hauteserre,  her  relation,  now  her  guardian,  took  the 
young  heiress  to  live  in  the  country  at  her  chateau 
of  Cinq-C}Tgne.  That  brave  provincial  gentleman, 
alarmed  at  the  death  of  his  brother,  the  Abbe  d'Haute- 
serre, who  was  shot  in  the  open  square  as  he  was 
about  to  escape  in  the  dress  of  a  peasant,  was  not  in  a 
position  to  defend  the  interests  of  his  ward.  He  had 
two  sons  in  the  army  of  the  princes,  and  every  da}*,  at 


I      : 


60  An  Historical  Mystery. 

the  slightest  unusual  sound,  he  believed  that  the  muni- 
cipals of  Arcis  were  coming  to  arrest  him.  Laurence, 
proud  of  having  sustained  a  siege  and  of  possessing  the 
historic  whiteness  of  her  swan-like  ancestors,  despised 
the  prudent  cowardice  of  the  old  man  who  bent  to  the 
storm,  and  dreamed  only  of  distinguishing  herself. 
So,  she  boldly  hung  the  portrait  of  Charlotte  Corday 
on  the  walls  of  her  poor  salon  at  Cinq-C3'gne,  and 
crowned  it  with  oak  leaves.  She  corresponded  by  mes- 
senger with  her  twin  cousins,  in  defiance  of  the  law, 
which  punished  the  act,  when  discovered,  with  death. 
The  messenger,  who  risked  his  life,  brought  back  the 
answers.  Laurence  lived  only,  after  the  catastrophes 
at  Troyes,  for  the  triumph  of  the  royvl  cause.  After 
soberly  judging  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre 
(who  lived  with  her  at  the  chateau  de  Cinq-Cygne),  and 
recognizing  their  honest,  but  stolid  natures,  she  put 
them  outside  the  lines  of  her  own  life.  She  had,  how- 
ever, too  good  a  mind  and  too  sound  a  judgment  to 
complain  of  their  natures ;  always  kind,  amiable,  and 
affectionate  towards  them,  she  nevertheless  told  them 
'Ljione  of  her  secrets.  Nothing  forms  a  character  so 
much  as  the  practice  of  constant  concealment  in  the 
bosom  of  a  family. 

After  she  attained  her  majority  Laurence  allowed 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  to  manage  her  affairs  as  in  the 
past.     So  long  as  her  favorite  mare  was  well-groomed, 


r 


0 


An  Historical  Mystery.  61 

her  maid  Catherine  dressed  to  please  her,  and  Gothard 
the  little  page  was  suitably  clothed,  she  cared  for  noth- 
ing else.  Her  thoughts  were  aimed  too  high  to  come 
down  to  occupations  and  interests  which  in  other  times 
than  these  would  doubtless  have  pleased  her.  Dress 
was  a  small  matter  to  her  mind ;  moreover  her  cousins 
were  not  there  to  see  her.  She  wore  a  dark-green  habit 
when  she  rode,  and  a  gown  of  some  common  woollen 
stuff  with  a  cape  trimmed  with  braid  when  she  walked ; 
In  the  house  she  was  always  seen  in  a  silk  wrapper. 
Gothard,  the  little  groom,  a  brave  and  clever  lad  of 
fifteen,  attended  her  wherever  she  went,  and  she  wras 
nearljT  alwa}*s  out  of  doors,  riding  or  hunting  over  the 
farms  of  Gondreville,  without  objection  being  made  by 
either  Michu  or  the  farmers.  She  rode  admirably  well, 
and  her  cleverness  in  hunting  was  thought  miraculous. 
In  the  countiy  she  was  never  called  anything  but 
"Mademoiselle"  even  during  the  Revolution. 

Whoever  has  read  the  fine  romance  of  "Rob  Roy" 
will  remember  that  rare  woman  for  whose  making 
Walter  Scott's  imagination  abandoned  its  customary 
coldness, — Diana  Vernon.  The  recollection  will  serve 
to  make  Laurence  understood  if,  to  the  noble  qualities 
of  the  Scottish  huntress  you  add  the  restrained  exalta- 
^tion  of  Charlotte  Corday,  suppressing,  however,  the 
charming  vivacity  which  rendered  Diana  so  attractive. 
The  young  countess  had  seen  her  mother  die,  the  Abbe* 


. 


.    i 


62  An  Historical  Mystery. 

d'Hauteserre  shot  down,  the  Marquis  de  Simeuse  and 
his  wife  executed ;  her  only  brother  had  died  of  his 
wounds ;  her  two  cousins  serving  in  Conde's  arm}' 
might  be  killed  at  any  moment ;  and,  finally,  the  for- 
tunes of  the  Simeuse  and  the  Cinq-Cygne  families  had 
been  seized  and  wasted  by  the  Republic  without  being 
of  any  benefit  to  the  nation.  /  Her  grave  demeanor, 
now  lapsing  into  apparent  stolidity,  can  be  readily 
understood. 

Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  proved  an  upright  and  most 
careful  guardian.  Under  his  administration  Cinq- 
Cygne  became  a  sort  of  farm.  The  good  man,  who 
was  far  more  of  a  close  manager  than  a  knight  of  the 
old  nobility,  had  turned  the  park  and  gardens  toj3roj|t, 
and  used  their  two  hundred  acres  of  grass  and  woodland 
as  pasturage  for  horses  and  fuel  for  the  family.  Thanks 
to  his  severe  economy  the  countess,  on  coming  of  age, 
had  recovered  by  his  investments  in  the  State  funds  a 
competent  fortune.  In  1798  she  possessed  about  twenty 
thousand  francs  a  year  from  those  sources,  on  which, 
in  fact,  some  dividends  were  still  due,  and  twelve 
thousand  francs  a  year  from  the  rentals  at  Cinq-Cygne, 
which  had  lately  been  renewed  at  a  notable  increase. 
Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre  had  provided  for 
their  old  age  by  the  purchase  of  an  annuit}7  of  three 
thousand  francs  in  the  Tontines  Lafarge.  That  frag- 
ment of  their  former  means  did  not  enable  them  to  live 


An  Historical  Mystery.  63 

elsewhere  than  at  Cinq-Cygne,  and  Laurence's  first  act 
on  coming  to  her  majority  was  to  give  them  the  use  for 
life  of  the  wing  of  the  chateau  which  the}7  occupied. 

The  Hauteserres,  as  niggardly  for  their  ward  as  they 
were  for  themselves,  laid  up  every  year  nearly  the 
whole  of  their  annuity  for  the  benefit  of  their  sons,  and 
kept  the  young  heiress  on  miserable  fare.  The  whole 
cost  of  the  Cinq-Cygne  household  never  exceeded  five 
thousand  francs  a  year.  But  Laurence,  who  c^nde- 
soenfleg  to  no  details,  was  satisfied.  Her  guardian 
and  his  wife,  unconsciously  ruled  by  the  imperceptible 
influence  of  her  strong  character,  which  was  felt  even  in 
little  things,  had  ended  by  admiring  her  whom  the}'  had 
known  and  treated  as  a  child,  —  a  sufficiently  rare  feel- 
ing. But  in  her  manner,  her  deerj_vo]ce,  her  command- 
ing  eye,  Laurence  held  that  inexplicable  power  which 
rules  all  jmen,  —  even  when  its  strength  is  mere  appear- 
ance. To  vulgar  minds  real  depth  is  incomprehensible  ; 
it  is  perhaps  for  that  reason  that  the  populace  is  so 
prone  to  admire  what  it  cannot  understand.  Monsieur 
and  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  impressed  by  the  habitual 
silence  and  erratic  habits  of  the  young  girl,  were  con- 
stantly expecting  some  extraordinary  thing  of  her. 

Laurence,  who  did  good  intelligently  and  never 
allowed  herself  to  be  deceived,  was  held  in  the  utmost 
respect  by  the  peasantry  although  she  was  an  aristo- 
crat.    Her  sex,  name,  and  great  misfortunes,  also  the 


64  An  Historical  Mystery. 

originality  of  her  present  life,  contributed  to  give  her 
authority  over  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley  of  Cinq- 
C3rgne.  She  was  sometimes  absent  for  two  days,  at- 
tended by  Gothard,  but  neither  Monsieur  nor  Madame 
dHauteserre  questioned  her,  on  her  return,  as  to  the 
i  reasons  of  her . absences  Please  observe,  however,  that 
there  was  nothing  odd  or  eccentric  about  Laurence. 
What  she  was  and  what  she  did  was  niaskgd,  as  it  were, 
by  a  feminine  and  even  fragile  appearance.  Herjieart^ 
was  full  of  extreme  vsensibility,  though  her  head  con- 
tained a  stoical  firmness  and  the  virile  gift  of  resolu- 
tion. Her  clear-seeing  eyes  knew  not  how  to  weep ; 
but  no  one  would  have  imagined  that  the  delicate  white 
wrist  with  its  traceiy  of  blue  veins  could  defy  that  of 
the  boldest  horseman.  Her  hand,  so  noble,  so  flexible, 
could  handle  gun  or  pistol  with  Ihe  ease  of  a  practised 
marksman.  She  alwa}rs  wore  when  out  of  doors  the 
coquettish  little  cap  with  visor  and  green  veil  which 
women  wear  on  horseback.  Her  delicate  fair  face,  thus 
protected,  and  her  white  throat  tied  with  a  black  cravat, 
were  never  injured  by  her  long  rides  in  all  weathers. 

Under  the  Directory  and  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Consulate,  Laurence  had  been  able  to  escape  the  obser- 
vation of  others  ;  but  since  the  government  had  become 
a  more  settled  thing,  the  new  authorities,  the  prefect  of 
the  Aube,  Malin's  friends,  and  Malm  himself  had 
endeavored  to  undermine  her  in  the  communit}T.     Her 


An  Historical  Mystery.  65 

preoccupying  thought  was  the  overthrow  of  Bonaparte, 
whose  ambition  and  its  triumphs  excited  the  anger  of 
her  snnl,  — 1*  fiold,  d(>lil>pra.t,ft  anger.  The  obscure  and 
hidden  enenrv  of  a  man  at  the  pinnacle  of  glory,  she 
kept  her  gaze  upon  him  from  the  depths  of  her  valley 
and  her  forests,  with  relentless  fixitj' ;  there  were  times 
when  she  thought  of  killing  him  in  the  roads  about 
Malmaison  or  Saint-Cloud.  Plans  for  the  execution  of 
this  idea  ma^Lhave  been  the  cause  of  man}r  of  her  past 
actions,  but  having  been  initiated,  after  the  peace  of 
Amiens,  into  the  conspiracy  of  the  men  who  expected 
to  make  the  18th  Brumaire  recoil  upon  the  First  Con- 
sul, she  had  thenceforth  subordinated  her  faculties  and 
her  hatred  to  their  vast  and  well  laid  scheme,  which 
was  to  strike  at  Bonaparte  externally  b}'  the  vast  coali- 
tion of  Russia,  Austria,  and  Prussia  (vanquished  at 
Austerlitz)  and  internally  b}x  the  coalition  of  men 
politically  opposed  to  each  other,  but  united  by  their 
common  hatred  to  a  man  whose  death  some  of  them 
were  meditating,  like  Laurence  herself,  without  shrink- 
ing from  the  word  assassination.  This  j'oung  girl,  so" 
fragilgL-to  the  eye,  so_. powerful  to  those  who  knew  her 
well,  was  at  the  present  moment  the  faithful  guide  and 
assistant  of  the  exiled  gentlemen  who  came  from  Eng- 
land to  take  part  in  this  deadly  enterprise. 

Fouche  relied  on   the   co-operation   of  the    emigres 
everywhere  beyond  the  Rhine  to  lure  the  Due  d'Enghien 

5 


66  An  Historical  Mystery. 

into  the  plot.  The  presence  of  that  prince  in  the  Baden 
territory,  not  far  from  Strasburg,  gave  much  weight 
later  to  the  accusation.  The  great  question  of  whether 
the  prince  r.ealty  knew  of  the  enterprise,  and  was  wait- 
ing on  the  frontier  to  enter  France  on  its  success,  is 
one  of  those  secrets  about  which,  as  about  several 
others,  the  house  of  Bourbon  has  maintained  an  un- 
broken silence.  As  the  history  of  that  period  recedes 
into  the  past,  impartial  historians  will  declare  the  im- 
prudence, to  say  the  least,  of  the  Due  d'Enghien  in 
placing  himself  close  to  the  frontier  at  a  time  when  a 
vast  conspiracy  was  about  to  break  forth,  the  secret  of 
which  was  undoubtedly  known  to  eveiy  member  of  the 
Bourbon  family. 

The  caution  which  Malm  dispkyed  in  talking  with 
Grevin  in  the  open  air,  Laurence  applied  to  her  everj 
action.  She  met  the  emissaries  and  conferred  with 
them  either  at  various  points  in  the  Nodesme  forest,  or 
be3'ond  the  valley  of  Cinq-Cygne,  between  the  villages 
of  Sezanne  and  Brienne.  Often  she  rode  forty  miles 
on  a  stretch  with  Gothard,  and  returned  to  Cinq-C3'gne 
without  the  least  sign  of  weariness  or  pre-occupation  on 
her  fair  young  face. 

Some  3*ears  earlier,  Laurence  had  seen  in  the  e}'es 
of  a  little  cow-bo}',  then  nine  )'ears  old,  the  artless 
admiration  which  children  feel  for  everything  that  is 
out  of  the  common   way.     She  made   him  her   page, 


An  Historical  Mystery.  67 

and   taught   him   to    groom   a  horse   with   the   nicety 
and  care  of  an  Englishman.      She  saw   in   the  lad  a 
desire   to   do  well,   a  bright   intelligence,  and  a  total 
absence  of  slj  motives ;   she  tested  his   devotion  and 
found  he  had  not  only  mind  but  nobility  of  character ; 
he  never  dreamed  of  reward.     The  young  girl  trained 
this  soul  that  was  still  so  }Toung ;  she  was  good  to  him, 
good  with. dignity  ;  she  attached  him  to  her  by  attach- 
ing herself  to  him,  and  by  herself  polishing  a  nature 
that  was  half  wild,  without  destroying  its  freshness  or 
its  simplicity.     When  she   had   sufficiently  tested   the 
almost  canine  fidelity  she  had  nurtured,  Gothard  be- 
came her  intelligent  and  ingenuous  accomplice.     The 
little  peasant,  whom  no  one  could  suspect,  went  from 
Cinq-Cygne  to  Nanc}*,  and  often  returned  before  any 
one  had  missed  him  from  the  neighborhood.     He  knew 
how  to  practise  all  the  tricks  of  a  spy.     The  extreme 
distrust  and  caution  his  mistress  had  taught  him  did 
not  change  his  natural  self.     Gothard,  who  possessed 
all  the  craft  of  a  woman,  the  candor  of  a  child,  and  the 
ceaseless  observation  of  a  conspirator,  hid  eveiy  one  of 
these  admirable  qualities  beneath  the  torpor  and  dull 
ignorance  of  a  country  lad.     The  little  fellow  had  a 
silly^weak,  and  clumsy  appearance  i  but  once  at  work 
he  was  active  as  a  fish  ;    he  escaped  like  an  eel ;   he 
understood,   as   the  dogs  do,   the   merest   glance ;    he 
nosed  a  thought.     His  good  fat  face,  both  round  and 


I 


// 


68  An  Historical  Mystery, 

red,  his  sleep3T  brown  e}res,  his  hair,  cut  in  the  peasant 
fashion,  his  clothes,  and  his  slow  growth  gave  him  the 
appearance  of  a  child  of  ten. 

The  two  young  d'Hauteserres  and  the  twin  brothers 
Simeuse,  under  the  guidance  of  their  cousin  Laurence, 
who  had  been  watching  over  their  safet}'  and  that  of 
the  other  emigres  who  accompanied  them  from  Stras- 
burg  to  Bar-sur-Aube,  had  just  passed  through  Alsace 
and  Lorraine,  and  were  now  in  Champagne  while  other 
conspirators,  not  less  bold,  were  entering  France  by  the 
cliffs  of  Normandy.  Dressed  as  workmen  the  d'Haute- 
serres and  the  Simeuse  twins  had  walked  from  forest  to 
forest,  guided  on  their  way  03-  relays  of  persons,  chosen 
03'  Laurence  during  the  last  three  months  from  among 
the  least  suspected  of  the  Bourbon  adherents  living  in 
each  neighborhood.  The  emigres  slept  03*  day  and 
travelled  by  night.  Each  brought  with  him  two  faith- 
ful soldiers  ;  one  of  whom  went  before  to  warn  of  dan- 
ger, the  other  behind  to  protect  a  retreat.  Thanks  to 
these  military  precautions,  this  valuable  detachment  had 
at  last  reached,  without  accident,  the  forest  of  Nodesme, 
which  was  chosen  as  the  rendezvous.  Twenty-seven 
other  gentlemen  had  entered  France  from  Switzerland 
and  crossed  Burgundy,  guided  towards  Paris  with  the 
same  caution. 

Monsieur  de  Riviere  counted  on  collecting  five  hun- 
dred men,  one   hundred  of  whom  were  young  nobles, 


An  Historical  Mystery.  69 

the  officers  of  this  sacred  legion.  Monsieur  de 
Polisrnac  and  Monsieur  de  Riviere,  whose  conduct  as 
chiefs  of  this  advance  was  most  remarkable,  afterwards 
preserved  an  impenetrable  secrec}'  as  to  the  names  of 
those  of  their  accomplices  who  were  not  discovered.  It 
may  be  said,  therefore,  now  that  the  Restoration  has  made 
matters  clearer,  that  Bonaparte  never  knew  the  extent  of 
the  danger  he  then  ran,  an}'  more  than  England  knew  the 
peril  she  had  escaped  from  the  camp  at  Boulogne ;  and 
yet  the  police  of  France  was  never  more  intelligently  or 
ably  managed. 

At  the  period  when  this  history  begins,  a  coward  — 
for  cowards  are  always  to  be  found  in  conspiracies 
which  are  not  confined  to  a  small  number  of  equally 
strong  men  —  a  sworn  confederate,  brought  face  to  face 
with  death,  gave  certain  information,  happily  insuffi- 
cient to  cover  the  extent  of  the  conspirac}',  but  precise 
enough  to  show  the  object  of  the  enterprise.  The 
police  had  therefore,  as  Malin  told  Grevin,  left  the  con- 
spirators at  liberty,  though  all  the  while  watching 
them,  hoping  to  discover  the  ramifications  of  the  plot. 
Nevertheless,  the  government  found  its  hand  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  forced  b}T  Georges  Cadoudal,  a  man  of  action 
who  took  counsel  of  himself  only,  and  who  was  hiding 
in  Paris  with  twent}r-five  chouans  for  the  purpose  of 
attacking  the  First  Consul. 

Laurence  combined  both  hatred  and  love  within  her 


70  An  Historical  Mystery. 

breast.  To  destroy  Bonaparte  and  bring  back  the 
Bourbons  was  to  recover  Gondreville  and  make  the  for- 
tune of  her  cousins.  The  two  sentiments,  one  the 
counterpart  of  the  other,  were  sufficient,  more  espe- 
cially at  twenty- three  years  of  age,  to  excite  all  the 
faculties  of  her  soul  and  all  the  powers  of  her  being. 
So,  for  the  last  two  months,  she  had  seemed  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Cinq-Cygne  more  beautiful  than  at  any 
other  period  of  her  life.  Her  cheeks  became  rosy ; 
hope  gave  pride  to  her  brow ;  but  when  old  d'Haute- 
serre  read  the  Gazette  at  night  and  discussed  the 
conservative  course  of  the  First  Consul  she  lowered  her 
e}Tes  to  conceal  her  passionate- hopes  of  the  coming  fall 
of  that  enemy  of  the  Bourbons. 

No  one  at  the  chateau  had  the  faintest  idea  that  the 
young  countess  had  met  her  cousins  the  night  before. 
The  two  sons  of  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre 
had  passed  the  preceding  night  in  Laurence's  own  room, 
under  the  same  roof  with  their  father  and  mother  ;  and 
Laurence,  after  knowing  them  safely  in  bed  had  gone 
between  one  and  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  a  ren- 
dezvous with  her  cousins  in  the  forest,  where  she  hid 
them  in  the  deserted  hut  of  a  wood-dealer's  agent. 
The  following  day,  certain  of  seeing  them  again,  she 
showed  no  signs  of  her  joy  ;  nothing  about  her  betra}'ed 
emotion ;  she  was  able  to  efface  all  traces  of  pleasure 
at  having  met  them  again  ;  in  fact,  she  was  impassible. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  71 

Catherine,  her  pretty  maid,  daughter  of  her  former  nurse, 
and  Gothard,  both  in  the  secret,  modelled  their  behavior 
upon  hers.  Catherine  was  nineteen  years  old.  At  that 
age  a  girl  is  a  fanatic  and  would  let  her  throat  be  cut 
before  betraying  a  thought  of  one  she  loves.  As  for 
Gothard,  merety  to  inhale  the  perfume  which  the  coun- 
tess used  in  her  hair  and  among  her  clothes  he  would 
have  borne  the  rack   without  a  word. 


72  An  Historical  Mystery. 


v. 


ROYALIST  HOMES  AND  PORTRAITS  UNDER  THE 

CONSULATE. 

At  the  moment  when  Marthe,  driven  by  the  immi- 
nence of  the  peril,  was  gliding  with  the  rapidity  of  a 
shadow  towards  the  breach  of  which  Michu  had  told 
her,  the  salon  of  the  chateau  of  Cinq-Cygne  presented  a 
peaceful  sight.  Its  occupants  were  so  far  from  suspect- 
ing the  storm  that  was  about  to  burst  upon  them  that 
their  quiet  aspect  would  have  roused  the  compassion  of 
any  one  who  knew  their  situation.  In  the  large  fire- 
place, the  mantel  of  which  was  adorned  with  a  mirror 
with  shepherdesses  in  paniers  painted  on  its  frame, 
burned  a  fire  such  as  can  be  seen  only  in  chateaus 
bordering  on  forests.  At  the  corner  of  this  fireplace, 
on  a  large  square  sofa  of  gilded  wood  with  a  mag- 
nificent brocaded  cover,  the  3Toung  countess  lay  as 
it  were  extended,  in  an  attitude  of  utter  weariness. 
Returning  at  six  o'clock  from  the  confines  of  Brie, 
having  pla}*ed  the  part  of  scout  to  the  four  gentlemen 
whom  she  guided  safely  to  their  last  halting-place 
before  they  entered  Paris,  she  had  found  Monsieur 
and  Madame  d'Hauteserre  just  finishing  their  dinner. 


i 


An  Historical  Mystery.  73 

Pressed  by  hunger  she  sat  down  to  table  without  chang- 
ing either  her  mwkty  habit  or  her  boots.  Instead  of 
doing  so  at  once  after  dinner,  she  was  suddenly  over- 
come with  fatigue  and  allowed  her  head  with  its  beau- 
tiful fair  curls  to  drop  on  the  back  of  the  sofa,  her 
feet  being  supported  in  front  of  her  b}'  a  stool.  The 
warmth  of  the  fire  had  dried  the  mud  on  her  habit  and 
on  her  boots.  Her  doeskin  gloves  and  the  little 
peaked  cap  with  its  green  veil  and  a  whip  lay  on  the 
table  where  she  had  flung  them.  She  looked  sometimes 
at  the  old  Boule  clock  which  stood  on  the  mantelshelf 
between  the  candelabra,  perhaps  to  judge  if  her  four 
conspirators  were  asleep,  and  sometimes  at  the  card- 
table  in  front  of  the  fire  where  Monsieur  and  Madame 
d'Hauteserre,  the  cure  of  Cinq-Cygne,  and  his  sister 
were  playing  a  game  of  boston. 

Even  if  these  personages  were  not  imbedded  in  this 
drama,  their  portraits  would  have  the  merit  of  represent- 
ing one  of  the  aspects  of  the  aristocracy  after  its  over- 
throw in  1793.  From  this  point  of  view,  a  sketch  of 
the  salon  at  Cinq-Cj'gne  has  the  raciness  of  history  seen 
in  dishabille. 

Monsieur  d'Hauteserre,  then  fifty- two  j'ears  of  age, 
tall,  spare,  high-colored,  and  robust  in  health,  would 
have  seemed  the  embodiment  of  vigor  if  it  were  not 
for  a  pair  of  porcelain  blue  eyes,  the  glance  of  which 
denoted  the  most  absolute  simplicity.    In  his  face,  which 


74  An  Historical  Mystery. 

ended  in  a  long  pointed  chin,  there  was,  judging  by 
the  rules  of  design,  an  unnatural  distance  between  his 
nose  and  mouth  which  gave  him  a  submissive  air, 
wholly  in  keeping  with  his  character,  which  harmon- 
ized, in  fact,  with  other  details  of  his  appearance. 
His  gray  hair,  flattened  by  his  hat,  which  he  wore  nearly 
all  da}*,  looked  much  like  a  skull-cap  on  his  head,  and 
defined  its  pear-shaped  outline.  His  forehead,  much 
wrinkled  03-  life  in  the  open  air  and  by  constant  anx- 
ieties, was  flat  and  expressionless.  His  aquiline  nose 
redeemed  the  face  somewhat ;  but  the  sole  indication  of 
any  strength  of  character  la}T  in  the  bush}'  eyebrows 
which  retained  their  blackness,  and  in  the  brilliant 
coloring  of  his  skin.  These  signs  were  in  some  re- 
spects not  misleading,  for  the  wortlry  gentleman,  though 
simple  and  very  gentle,  was  Catholic  and  monarchical 
in  faith,  and  no  consideration  on  earth  could  make 
him  change  his  views.  Nevertheless  he  would  have 
let  himself  be  arrested  without  an  effort  at  defence, 
and  would  have  gone  to  the  scaffold  quietly.  His 
annuity  of  three  thousand  francs  had  kept  him  from 
emigrating.  He  therefore  obeyed  the  government  de 
facto  without  ceasing  to  love  the  royal  fainiljT  and  to 
pray  for  their  return,  though  he  would  firmly  have 
refused  to  compromise  himself  by  any  effort  in  their 
favor.  He  belonged  to  that  class  of  royalists  who 
ceaselessly  remembered   that   they   were    beaten    and 


nit 


j>^-  r- 

J.w  Historical  Mystery.  75 

robbed ;  and  who  remained  thenceforth  dumb,  economi- 
cal, rancorous,  without  energy  ;  incapable  of  abjuring 
the  past,  but  equally  incapable  of  sacrifice ;  waiting  to 
greet  triumphant  royalty  ;  true  to  religion  and  true  to 
the  priesthood,  but  firmly  resolved  to  bear  in  silence 
the  shocks  of  fate.  Such  an  attitude  cannot  be  con- 
sidered that  of  maintaining  opinions,  it  becomes  sheer 
obstinacy.  Action  is  the  essence  of  party.  Without 
intelligence,  but  loyal,  miserly  as  a  peasant  yet  noble 
in  demeanor,  bold  in  his  wishes  but  discreet  in  word 
and  action,  turning  all  things  to  profit,  willing  even  to 
be  made  mayor  of  Cinq-Cygne,  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre 
was  an  admirable  representative  of  those  honorable 
gentlemen  on  whose  brow  God  himself  has  written  the 
word  mites,  —  Frenchmen  who  burrowed  in  their  coun- 
try homes  and  let  the  storms  of  the  Revolution  pass 
above  their  heads  ;  who  came  once  more  to  the  surface 
under  the  Restoration,  rich  with  their  hidden  savings, 
proud  of  their  discreet  attachment  to  the  monarch}',  and 
who,  after  1830,  recovered  their  estates. 

Monsieur  d'Hauteserre' s  costume,  expressive  en- 
velope of  his  distinctive  character,  described  to  the  eye 
both  the  man  and  his  period.  He  always  wore  one  of 
those  nut-colored  great-coats  with  small  collars  which 
the  Due  d'Orleans  made  .the  fashion  after  his  return 
from  England,  and  which  were,  during  the  Revolution, 
a  sort  of  compromise  between  the  hideous  popular  gar- 


76  An  Historical  Mystery. 

ments  and  the  elegant  surtouts  of  the  aristocracy.  His 
velvet  waistcoat  with  flowered  stripes,  the  style  of 
which  recalled  those  of  Robespierre  and  Saint-Just, 
showed  the  upper  part  of  a  shirt-frill  in  fine  plaits.  He 
still  wore  breeches  ;  but  his  were  of  coarse  blue  cloth, 
with  burnished  steel  buckles.  His  stockings  of  black 
spun-silk  defined  his  deer-like  legs,  the  feet  of  which 
were  shod  in  thick  shoes,  held  in  place  by  gaiters  of 
black  cloth.  He  retained  the  former  fashion  of  a  mus- 
lin cravat  in  innumerable  folds  fastened  by  a  gold 
buckle  at  the  throat.  The  worthy  man  had  not  in- 
tended an  act  of  political  eclecticism  in  adopting  this 
costume,  which  combined  the  styles  of  peasant,  revolu- 
tionist, and  aristocrat ;  he  simply  and  innocently  obeyed 
the  dictates  of  circumstances. 

Madame  d'Hauteserre,  forty  }Tears  of  age  and  wasted 
by  emotions,  had  a  faded  face  which  seemed  to  be 
alwa}^s  posing  for  its  portrait.  A  lace  cap,  trimmed 
with  bows  of  white  satin,  contributed  singularly  to  give 
her  a  solemn  air.  She  still  wore  powder,  in  spite  of  a 
white  kerchief,  and  a  gown  of  puce-colored  silk  with  tight 
sleeves  and  full  skirt,  the  sad  last  garments  of  Marie- 
Antoinette.  Her  nose  was  pinched,  her  chin  sharp, 
the  whole  face  nearly  triangular,  the  eyes  worn-out  with 
weeping  ;  but  she  now  wore  a  touch  of  rouge  which 
brightened  their  gra}Tness.  She  took  snuff,  and  each 
time  that  she  did  so  she  employed  all  the  pretty  precau- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  77 

tions  of  the  fashionable  women  of  her  earl}'  clays  ;  the 
details  of  this  snuff-taking  constituted  a  ceremony  which 
could  be  explained  by  one  fact  —  she  had  very  pretty 
hands. 

For  the  last  two  years  the  former  tutor  of  the 
Simeuse  twins,  a  friend  of  the  late  Abbe  d'Hauteserre, 
named  Goujet,  Abbe  des  Minimes,  had  taken  charge  of 
the  parish  of  Cinq-Cygne  jout  oLixiendship  for  lh° 
d'Hauteserres  and  the  young  countess.  His  sister, 
Mademoiselle  Goujet,  who  possessed  a  little  income 
of  seven  hundred  francs,  added  that  sum  to  the  meagre 
salary  of  her  brother  and  kept  his  house.  Neither 
church  nor  parsonage  had  been  sold  during  the  Revolu- 
tion on  account  of  their  small  value.  The  abbe  and  his 
sister  lived  close  to  the  chateau,  for  the  wall  of  the  par- 
sonage garden  and  that  of  the  park  were  the  same  in 
some  places.  Twice  a  week  the  pair  dined  at  the 
chateau,  but  the}T  came  every  evening  to  play  boston 
with  the  d'Hauteserres  ;  for  Laurence,  unable  to  plav 
a  game,  did  not  even  know  one  card  from  another. 

The  Abbe  Goujet,  an  old  man  with  w!iilc£hair  and  aJ— 
face  as  white  as  that  of  an  old  woman,  endowed  with  a 
kindly,  smile  and  a  gentle  and  persuasive  voice,  re- 
deemed the  insipidity  of  his  rather  mincing  face  by  a 
fine  intellectual  brow  and  a— pair— ef^keem  eyes.  Of 
medium  height,  and  very  well  made,  Be  still  wore  the 
old-fashioned  black  coat,  silver  shoe-buckles,  breeches, 


78  An  Historical  Mystery. 

black  silk  stockings,  and  a  black  waistcoat  on  which 
lay  his  clerical  bands,  giving  him  a  disiingttis-hed  air 
which  detracted  nothing  from  his  dignity. „  This  abbe, 
who  became  bishop  of  Troyes  after  the  Restoration, 
had  long  made  a  study  of  young  people  and  fully  under- 
stood the  noble  character  of  the  young  countess ;  he 
appreciated  her  at  her  full  value,  and  had  shown  her, 
from  the  first,  a  respectful  deference  which  contributed 
much  to  her  independence  at  Cinq-C}'gne,  fpr  it  led  the 
austere  old  lady  and  the  kind  old  gentleman  to  yield  to 
the  young  girl,  who  by  rights  should  have  yielded  to 
them.  For  the  last  six  months  the  abbe  had  watched 
Laurence  with  the  intuition  peculiar  to  priests,  the  most 
sagacious  of  men  ;  and  although  he  did  not  know  that 
this  girl  of  twenty-three  was  thinking  of  overturning 
Bonaparte  as  she  lay  there  twisting  with  slender  fin- 
gers the  frogged  lacing  of  her  riding-habit,  he  was  well 
aware  that  she  was  agitated  by  some  great  project. 

Mademoiselle  Goujet  was  one  of  those  unmarried 
women  whose  portrait  can  be  drawn  in  one  word  which 
will  enable  the  least  imaginative  mind  to  picture  her ; 
she  was  ungainly.  She  knew  her  own  ugliness  and  was 
the  first  to  laugh  at  it,  showing  her  long  teeth,  3-ellow 
as  her  complexion  and  her  bony  hands.  She  was  gay 
and  hearty.  She  wore  the  famous  short  gown  of 
former  days,  a  very  full  skirt  with  pockets  full  of  keys, 
a  cap  with  ribbons  and  a  false  front.     She  was  forty 


An  Historical  Mystery.  79 

years  of  age  very  earl}',  but  had,  so  she  said,  caught  up 
with  herself  by  keeping  at  that  age  for  twenty  years. 
She  revered  the  nobility ;  and  knew  well  how  to  pre- 
serve her  own  dignity  by  giving  to  persons  of  noble 
birth  the  respect  and  deference  that  were  due*  to 
them. 

This  little  comparry  was  a  god-send  to  Madame 
d'Hauteserre,  who  had  not,  like  her  husband,  rural  oc- 
cupations, nor,  like  Laurence,  the  tonic  of  hatred,  to 
enable  her  to  bear  the  dulness  of  a  retired  life.  Many 
things  had  happened  to  ameliorate  that  life  within  the 
last  six  3rears.  The  restoration  of  Catholic  worship 
allowed  the  faithful  to  fulfil  their  religious  duties,  which 
play  more  of  a  part  in  country  life  than  elsewhere. 
Protected  by  the  conservative  edicts  of  the  First  Consul, 
Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre  had  been  able  to 
correspond  with  their  sons,  and  no  longer  in  dread 
of  what  might  happen  to  them  could  even  hope  for 
the  erasure  of  their  names  from  the  lists  of  the  pro- 
scribed and  their  consequent  return  to  France.  The 
Treasury  had  lately  made  up  the  arrearages  and  now 
paid  its  dividends  promptly ;  so  that  the  d'Hauteserres 
received,  over  and  above  their  annuit}%  about  eight 
thousand  francs  a  year.  The  old  man  congratulated 
himself  on  the  sagacity  of  his  foresight  in  having  put 
all  his  savings,  amounting  to  twent}*  thousand  francs, 
together  with  those  of  his  ward,  in  the  public  Funds 


80  An  Historical  Mystery. 

before  the  18th  Brumaire,  which,  as  we  all  know,  sent 
those  stocks  up  from  twelve  to  eighteen  francs. 

The  chateau  of  Cinq-Cj'gne  had  long  been  empt}*  and 
denuded  of  furniture.  The  prudent  guardian  was  care- 
ful not  to  alter  its  aspect  during  the  revolutionary 
troubles ;  but  after  the  peace  of  Amiens  he  made  a 
journey  to  Troj'es  and  brought  back  various  relics  of 
the  pillaged  mansions  which  he  obtained  from  the 
dealers  in  second-hand  furniture.  The  salon  was  fur- 
nished for  the  first  time  since  their  occupation  of  the 
house.  Handsome  curtains  of  white  brocade  with  green 
flowers,  from  the  hotel  de  Simeuse,  draped  the  six  win- 
dows of  the  salon,  in  which  the  family  were  now  assem- 
bled. The  walls  of  this  vast  room  were  entirely  of 
wood,  with  panels  encased  in  beaded  mouldings  with 
masks  at  the  angles  ;  the  whole  painted  in  two  shades  of 
gray.  The  spaces  over  the  four  doors  were  filled  with 
those  designs,  painted  in  cameo  of  two  colors,  which 
were  so  much  in  vo^ue  under  Louis  XV.  Monsieur 
d'Hauteserre  had  picked  up  at  Troyes  certain  gilded 
pier-tables,  a  sofa  in  green  damask,  a  ciystal  chande- 
lier, a  card-table  of  marquetrv,  among  other  things  that 
served  him  to  restore  the  chateau.  In  1792  all  the  fur- 
niture of  the  house  had  been  taken  or  destnryed,  for  the 
pillage  of  the  mansions  in  town  was  imitated  in  the 
valley.  Each  time  that  the  old  man  went  to  Treves  he 
returned  with  some  relic  of  the  former  splendor,  some- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  81 

times  a  fine  carpet  for  the  floor  of  the  salon,  at  other 
times  part  of  a  dinner  service,  or  a  bit  of  rare  old  por- 
celain of  either  Sevres  or  Dresden.  During  the  last  six 
months  he  had  ventured  to  dig  up  the  family  silver, 
which  the  cook  had  buried  in  the  cellar  of  a  little  house 
belonging  to  him  at  the  end  of  one  of  the  long  faubourgs 
in  Troj'es. 

That  faithful  servant,  named  Durieu,  and  his  wife 
had  followed  the  fortunes  of  their  }Oung  mistress. 
Durieu  was  the  factotum  of  the  chateau,  and  his  wife 
was  the  housekeeper.  He  was  helped  in  the  cooking 
by  the  sister  of  Catherine,  Laurence's  maid,  to  whom 
he  was  teaching  his  art  and  who  gave  promise  of  be- 
coming an  excellent  cook.  An  old  gardener,  his  wife, 
a  son  paid  by  the  day,  and  a  daughter  who  served  as  a 
dairy-woman,  made  up  the  household.  Madame  Durieu 
had  lately  and  secretly  had  the  Cinq-Cygne  liveries 
made  for  the  gardener's  son  and  for  Gothard.  Though 
blamed  for  this  imprudence  by  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre, 
the  housekeeper  took  great  pleasure  in  seeing  the  din- 
ner served  on  the  festival  of  Saint-Laurence,  the  coun- 
tess's fete-day,  with  almost  as  much  style  as  in  former 
times. 

This  slow  and  difficult  restoration  of  departed  things 
was  the  delight  of  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre 
and  the  Durieus.  Laurence  smiled  at  what  she  thought 
nonsense.     But  the  worthy  old  d'Hauteserre  did   not 

6 


82  An  Historical  Mystery. 

forget  the  more  solid  matters  ;  he  repaired  the  build- 
ings, put  up  the  walls,  planted  trees  wherever  there  was 
a  chance  to  make  them  grow,  and  did  not  leave  an 
inch  of  unproductive  land.  The  whole  valley  regarded 
him  as  an  oracle  in  the  matter  of  agriculture.  He  had 
managed  to  recover  a  hundred  acres  of  contested  land, 
not  sold  as  national  property,  being  in  some  way  con- 
founded with  that  of  the  township.  This  land  he  had 
turned  into  fields  which  afforded  good  pasturage  for  his 
horses  and  cattle,  and  he  planted  them  round  with  pop- 
lars, which  now,  at  the  end  of  six  }'ears,  were  making  a 
fine  growth.  He  intended  to  buy  back  some  of  the 
lost  estate,  and  to  utilize  all  the  out-buildings  of  the 
chateau  by  making  a  second  farm  and  managing  it 
himself. 

Life  at  the  chateau  had  thus  become  during  the  last 
two  3Tears  prosperous  and  almost  happy.  Monsieur 
d'Hauteserre  was  off  at  daybreak  to  overlook  his  labor- 
ers, for  he  emplo}'ed  them  in  all  weathers.  He  came 
home  to  breakfast,  mounted  his  farm  pony  as  soon  as 
the  meal  was  over,  and  made  his  rounds  of  the  estate 
like  a  bailiff,  —  getting  home  in  time  for  dinner,  and  fin- 
ishing the  day  with  a  game  of  boston.  All  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  chateau  had  their  stated  occupations  ;  life 
was  as  closely  regulated  there  as  in  a  convent.  Laurence 
alone  disturbed  its  even  tenor  by  her  sudden  journeys,  her 
uncertain  returns,  and  by  what  Madame  d'Hauteserre 


An  Historical  Mystery.  83 

called  her  pranks.     But  with  all  this  peacefulness  there 
existed  at  Cinq-C3'gne  conflicting  interests  and  certain 
causes  of  dissension.     In  the  first  place  Durieu  and  his 
wife  were  jealous  of  Catherine  and  Gothard,  who  lived 
in  greater  intimacy  with  their  young  mistress,  the  idol 
of  the  household,  than  they  did.    Then  the  two  d'Haute- 
serres,  encouraged   by   Mademoiselle   Goujet   and   the 
abbe,  wanted  their  sons  as  well  as  the  Simeuse  brothers 
to  take  the  oath  and  return  to  this  quiet  life,  instead 
of  living   miserably  in   foreign   countries.      Laurence 
scouted  the  odious  compromise  and  stood  firmly  for  the 
monarch}-,  militant  and  implacable.     The  four  old  peo- 
ple, anxious  that  their  present  peaceful  existence  should 
not  be  risked,  nor  their  spot  of  refuge,  saved  from  the 
furious  waters  of  the  revolutionar}*  torrent,  lost,  did 
their  best  to  convert  Laurence  to  their  cautious  views, 
believing  that  her  influence  counted  for  much  in  the 
unwillingness  of  their  sons  and  the  Simeuse  twins  to 
return  to  France.     The  superb  disdain  with  which  she 
met  the  project  frightened  these  poor  people,  who  were 
not  mistaken  in  their   fears  that  she  was  meditating 
what   they   called    knight-errantry.      This    jarring   of 
opinion  came  to  the  surface  after  the  explosion  of  the 
infernal  machine  in  the  rue  Saint-Xicaise,  the  first  roy- 
alist attempt  against  the  conqueror  of  Marengo  after 
his  refusal  to  treat  with  the  house  of  Bourbon.     The 
d'Hauteserres   considered  it  fortunate  that  Bonaparte 


\ 


84  An  Historical  Mystery, 

escaped  that  danger,  believing  that  the  republicans 
had  instigated  it.  But  Laurence  wept  with  rage  when 
she  heard  he  was  safe.  Her  despair  overcame  her 
usual  reticence,  and  she  vehemently  complained  that 
God  had  deserted  the  sons  of  Saint-Louis. 

"I,"  she  exclaimed,  "I  could  have  succeeded! 
Have  we  no  right,"  she  added,  seeing  the  stupefac- 
tion her  words  produced  on  the  faces  about  her,  and 
addressing  the  abbe,  "  no  right  to  attack  the  usurper 
by  every  means  in  our  power  ?  " 

"  My  child,"  replied  the  abbe,  "  the  Church  has  been 
greatly  blamed  by  philosophers  for  declaring  in  former 
times  that  the  same  weapons  might  be  emploj'ed  against 
usurpers  which  the  usurpers  themselves  had  empk>3red 
to  succeed ;  but  in  these  days  the  Church  owes  far 
too  much  to  the  First  Consul  not  to  protect  him  against 
that  maxim,  —  which,  by  the  by,  was  due  to  the 
Jesuits." 

"  So  the  Church  abandons  us!"  she  answered, 
gloomily. 

From  that  day  forth  whenever  the  four  old  people 
talked  of  submitting  to  the  decrees  of  Providence,  Lau- 
rence left  the  room.  Of  late,  the  abbe,  shrewder  than 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre,  instead  of  discussing  principles, 
drew  pictures  of  the  material  advantages  of  the  consu- 
lar rule,  less  to  convert  the  countess  than  to  detect  in 
her  eyes  some  expression  which  might  enlighten  him  as 


An  Historical  Mystery.  85 

to  her  projects.  Gothard's  frequent  disappearances, 
the  long  rides  of  his  mistress,  and  her  evident  preoccu- 
pation, which,  for  the  last  few  days,  had  appeared  in 
her  face,  together  with  other  little  signs  not  to  be  hid- 
den in  the  silence  and  tranquillity  of  such  a  life,  had 
roused  the  fears  of  these  submissive  royalists.  Still,  as 
no  event  happened,  and  perfect  quiet  appeared  to  reign 
in  the  political  atmosphere,  the  minds  of  the  little 
household  were  soothed  into  peace,  and  the  countess's 
long  rides  were  once  more  attributed  to  her  passion  for 
hunting. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  deep  silence  which  reigned 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  in  the  park,  courtyards, 
and  gardens  of  Cinq-C}'gne,  where  at  that  particular 
moment  the  persons  we  have  described  were  harmoni- 
ously grouped,  where  perfect  peace  pervaded  all  things, 
where  comfort  and  abundance  were  again  enjoyed,  and 
where  the  worthy  and  judicious  old  gentleman  was  still 
hoping  to  convert  his  late  ward  to  his  system  of  obedi- 
ence to  the  ruling  powers  by  the  argument  of  what  we 
may  call  the  continuity  of  prosperous  results. 

These  ro}Talists  continued  to  play  their  boston,  a  game 
which  spread  ideas  of  independence  under  a  frivolous 
form  over  the  whole  of  France  ;  for  it  was  first  invented 
in  honor  of  the  American  insurgents,  its  \evy  terms 
applying  to  the  struggle  which  Louis  XVI.  encouraged. 
While  making  their  "  independences"  and  "  poverties," 


86  An  Historical  Mystery. 

the  players  kept  an  eye  on  the  countess,  who  had  fallen 
asleep,  overcome  by  fatigue,  with  a  singular  smile  on 
her  lips,  her  last  waking  thought  having  been  of  the 
terror  two  words  could  inspire  in  the  minds  of  the 
peaceful  company  by  informing  the  d'Hauteserres  that 
their  sons  had  passed  the  preceding  night  under  that 
roof.  What  young  girl  of  twenty-three  would  not  have 
been,  as  Laurence  was,  proud  to  play  the  part  of  Des- 
tiny? and  who  would  not  have  felt,  as  she  did,  a  sense 
of  compassion  for  those  whom  she  felt  to  be  so  far 
below  her  in  loyalty? 

44  She  sleeps,"  said  the  abbe*.  "  I  have  never  seen 
her  so  wearied." 

"  Durieu  tells  me  her  mare  is  almost  foundered,"  re- 
marked Madame  d'Hauteserre.  "  Her  gun  has  not 
been  fired ;  the  breech  is  clean ;  she  has  evidently  not 
hunted." 

"  Oh!  that's  neither  here  nor  there,"  said  the 
abbe*. 

"Bah?"  cried  Mademoiselle  Goujet;  "  when  I  was 
twenty-three  and  saw  I  should  be  an  old  maid  all  my 
life,  I  rushed  about  and  fatigued  myself  in  a  dozen 
ways.  I  understand  how  the  countess  can  scour  the 
country  for  hours  without  thinking  of  the  game.  It  is 
nearly  twelve  years  now  since  she  has  seen  her  cousins, 
and  you  know  she  loves  them.  Well,  if  I  were  she,  if  I 
were  as  young  and  pretty,  I  'd  make  a  straight  line  for 


•   An  Historical  Mystery.  87 

Germany  !  Poor  darling,  perhaps  she  is  thinking  of  the 
frontier,  and  tha^t  may  be  the  reason  why  she  rides  so 
far  towards  it." 

44  You  are  rather  giddy,  Mademoiselle  Gonjet,"  said 
the  abbe,  smiling. 

44  Not  at  all,"  she  replied.  44 1  see  you  all  uneasy 
about  the  goings  on  of  a  young  girl,  and  I  am  explain- 
ing them  to  you." 

"  Her  cousins  will  submit  and  return  soon  ;  they  will 
all  be  rich,  and  she  will  end  by  calming  down,"  said  old 
d'Hauteserre. 

44  God  grant  it!"  said  his  wife,  taking  out  a  gold 
snuff-box  which  had  again  seen  the  light  under  the 
Consulate. 

44  There  is  something  stirring  in  the  neighborhood," 
remarked  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  to  the  abbe.  44  Malin 
has  been  two  days  at  Gondreville." 

44  Malin!"  cried  Laurence,  roused  by  the  name, 
though  her  sleep  was  sound. 

44  Yes,"  replied  the  abbe,  4'  but  he  leaves  to-night; 
everybody  is  conjecturing  the  motive  of  this  hast}' 
visit." 

44  That  man,"  said  Laurence,  44  is  the  evil  genius  of 
our  two  houses." 

The  countess  had  been  dreaming  of  her  cousins 
and  the  }'oung  Hauteserres ;  she  saw  them  in  peril. 
Her  beautiful  eyes  grew  fixed  and  glassy  as  her  mind 


88  An  Historical  Mystery. 

thus  warned  dwelt  on  the  dangers  they  were  about  to 
incur  in  Paris.  She  rose  suddenly  and  went  to  her  bed- 
room without  speaking.  Her  bedroom  was  the  best  in 
ihe  house  ;  next  it  came  a  dressing-room  and  an  oratory, 
in  the  tower  which  faced  towards  the  forest.  Soon 
after  she  had  left  the  salon  the  dogs  barked,  the  bell  of 
the  small  gate  rang,  and  Durieu  rushed  into  the  salon 
with  a  frightened  face.  "Here  is  the  mayor!"  he 
said.     "  Something  is  the  matter." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  89 


VI. 

A  DOMICILIARY   VISIT. 

The  mayor,  a  former  huntsman  of  the  house  of 
Simeuse,  came  occasionally  to  the  chateau,  where  the 
d'Hauteserres  showed  him,  out  of  policy,  a  deference 
to  which  he  attached  great  value.  His  name  was  Gou- 
lard ;  he  had  married  a  rich  woman  of  Troyes,  whose 
property,  which  was  in  the  commune  of  Cinq-Cj'gne,  he 
had  further  increased  by  the  purchase  of  a  fine  abbey 
and  its  lands,  in  which  he  invested  all  his  savings. 
The  vast  abbey  of  Val-des-Preux,  standing  about  a  mile 
from  the  chateau,  he  had  turned  into  a  dwelling  that 
was  almost  as  splendid  as  Gondreville  ;  in  it  his  wife 
and  he  were  now  living  like  rats  in  a  cathedral.  "  Ah  ! 
Goulard,  you  have  been  greedy,"  Mademoiselle  had 
said  to  him  with  a  laugh  the  first  time  she  received 
him  at  Cinq-Cygne.  Though  greatly  attached  to  the 
Revolution  and  coldly  received  by  the  countess,  the 
mayor  always  felt  himself  bound  by  ties  of  respect  to 
the  Cinq-Cygne  and  Simeuse  families.  He  therefore 
shut  his  eyes  to  what  went  on  at  the  chateau.  He 
called  shutting  his  eyes  not  seeing  the  portraits  of 
Louis  XVI.,  Marie  Antoinette,  and  the  royal  children, 


90  An  Historical  Mystery. 

and  those  of  Monsieur,  the  Comte  d'Artois,  Cazales 
and  Charlotte  Corday,  which  filled  the  various  panels 
of  the  salon  ;  not  resenting  either  the  wishes  freery  ex- 
pressed in  his  presence  for  the  ruin  of  the  Republic,  or 
the  ridicule  flung  at  the  five  directors  and  all  the  other 
governmental  combinations  of  that  time.  The  position 
of  this  man,  who,  like  many  parvenus,  having  once 
made  his  fortune,  reverted  to  his  early  faith  in  the  old  ■ 
families,  and  sought  to  attach  himself  to.  them,  was  now 
being  made  use  of  by  the  two  members  of  the  Paris 
police  whose  profession  had  been  so  quickly  guessed  by 
Michu,  and  who,  before  going  to  Gondreville  had  recon- 
noitred the  neighborhood. 

These  men  had  a  secret  mission.  Malin  was  not  mis- 
taken in  attributing  a  double  purpose  to  those  stars  of 
tragic  farces.  But,  before  seeing  them  at  work,  it  is 
advisable  to  show  the  head  of  which  they  were  the 
arms.  When  Bonaparte  became  First  Consul  he  found 
Fouche  at  the  head  of  the  police.  The  Revolution  had 
frankly  and  with  good  reason  made  the  management  of 
the  police  into  a  special  minist^.  But  after  his  return 
from  Marengo,  Bonaparte  created  the  prefecture  of 
police,  placed  Dubois  in  charge  of  it,  and  called  Fouche 
to  the  Council  of  State,  naming  as  his  successor  in  the 
ministry  a  conventional  named  Cochon,  since  known  as 
Comte  de  Lapparent.  Fouche,  who  considered  the  min- 
istr}T  of  police  as  by  far  the  most  important  in  a  govern- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  91 

ment  of  broad  ideas  and  fixed  policy,  saw  disgrace  or 
at  any  rate  distrust  in  the  change.  After  Napoleon 
became  aware  of  the  immense  superiorit}7  of  this  great 
statesman,  as  evidenced  in  the  affair  of  the  infernal 
machine  and  in  the  conspiracy  with  which  we  are  now 
concerned,  he  returned  him  to  the  ministry  of  police. 
Later  still,  becoming  alarmed  at  the  powers  Fouche 
displayed  during  his  absence  at  the  time  of  the  affair  at 
Walcheren,  the  Emperor  gave  that  ministry  to  the  Due 
de  Rovigo,  and  sent  Fouche  (Due  d'Otrante)  as  gover- 
nor to  the  Illyrian  provinces,  —  an  appointment  which 
was  in  fact  an  exile. 

The  singular  genius  of  this  man,  Fouche,  which  had 
the  power  of  inspiring  Napoleon  with  a  sort  of  fear,  did 
not  reveal  itself  all  at  once.  This  obscure  conven- 
tional, one  of  the  most  extraordinary  men  of  our  time, 
and  the  most  misjudged,  was  moulded,  as  it  were,  by 
the  whirlwind  of  events.  He  raised  himself  under  the 
Directory  to  the  height  from  which  men  of  genius  can 
see  the  future  and  judge  the  past,  and  then,  like  certain 
commonplace  actors  who  suddenly  become  admirable 
through  the  light  of  some  vivid  perception,  he  gave 
proofs  of  his  dexterit}T  during  the  rapid  revolution  of 
the  18th  Brumaire.  This  man  with  the  pallid  face, 
educated  to  monastic  dissimulation,  possessing  the 
secrets  of  the  montagnards  to  whom  he  belonged,  and 
those  of  the  ro}-a lists  to  whom  he  ended  b}T  belonging, 


92  An  Historical  Mystery. 

had  slowly  and  silently  studied  the  men,  the  events,  and 
the  interests  on  the  political  stage ;  he  penetrated 
Napoleon's  secrets,  he  gave  him  useful  counsel  and 
precious  information.  Satisfied  with  having  proved  his 
capacity  and  his  usefulness,  Fouche  was  careful  not  to 
disclose  himself  completely.  He  wished  to  remain  at 
the  head  of  affairs,  but  the  Emperor's  restless  uneasi- 
ness about  him  cost  him  his  place. 

The  ingratitude  or  rather  the  distrust  shown  by  Na- 
poleon after  the  affair  at  Walcheren,  gives  the  key-note 
to  the  character  of  a  man  who,  unfortunately  for  him- 
self, was  not  a  great  seigneur,  and  whose  conduct  was 
modelled  on  that  of  Talleyrand.  At  that  time  neither 
his  former  colleagues  nor  his  present  ones  had  suspected 
the  amplitude  of  his  genius,  which  was  purely  minis- 
terial, essentially  governmental,  just  in  its  forecasts 
and  incredibly  sagacious.  To-day,  every  impartial  his- 
torian perceives  that  Napoleon's  inordinate  self-love 
was  among  the  chief  causes  of  his  fall,  a  punishment 
which  cruelly  expiated  his  wrong-doing.  In  the  mind 
of  that  distrustful  sovereign  lurked  a  constant  jealousy 
for  his  own  rising  power,  which  influenced  all  his  actions, 
and  caused  his  secret  hatred  of  men  of  talent,  the  pre- 
cious legacy  of  the  Revolution,  with  whom  he  might  have 
made  himself  a  cabinet  capable  of  being  a  true  reposi- 
tory for  his  thoughts.  Talleyrand  and  Fouch^  were  not 
the  only  ones  who  gave  him  umbrage.     The  misfortune 


An  Historical  Mystery.  93 

of  usurpers  is  that  those  who  have  given  them  a  crown 
are  as  much  their  enemies  as  those  from  whom  they 
snatch  it.  Napoleon's  sovereignt}'  was  never  convinc- 
ingly felt  by  those  who  were  once  his  superiors  or  his 
equals,  nor  by  those  who  still  held  to  the  doctrine  of 
rights  ;  none  of  them  regarded  their  oath  of  allegiance 
to  him  as  binding. 

Malin,  an  inferior  man,  incapable  of  comprehending 
Fouche's  hidden  genius,  or  of  distrusting  his  own  per- 
ceptions, burned  himself,  like  a  moth  in  a  candle,  by 
asking  him  confidential^  to  send  agents  to  Gondreville, 
where,  he  said,  he  hoped  to  obtain  certain  clues  to  the 
conspirac}\  Fouche,  without  alarming  his  friend  by 
any  questions,  asked  himself  wiry  Malin  was  going  to 
Gondreville,  and  why  he  did  not  immediately  and  with- 
out loss  of  time,  give  the  information  he  already  pos- 
sessed. The  ex-oratorian,  fed  from  his  }'Outh  up  on 
tricker}T,  and  well  aware  of  the  double  part  played  b}T  a 
good  many  of  the  conventional,  said  to  himself: 
"  From  whom  is  Malin  likely  to  obtain  information 
when  we  ourselves  know  little  or  nothing  ?  "  Fouche 
concluded  therefore  that  there  was  some  either  latent 
or  prospective  collusion,  and  took  care  to  say  nothing 
about  it  to  the  First  Consul.  He  preferred  to  make 
Malin  his  instrument  rather  than  destroy  him.  It  was 
Fouche's  habit  to  keep  to  himself  a  good  part  of  the 
secrets  he  detected,  and  he  thus  obtained  for  his  own 


94  An  Hlsto7ical  Mystery. 

purposes  a  power  over  those  concerned  which  was  even 
greater  than  that  of  Bonaparte.  This  duplicity  was  one 
of  the  Emperor's  charges  against  his  minister. 

Fouche  knew  of  the  swindling  transaction  by  which 
Malin  became  possessed  of  Gondreville  and  which  led 
him  to  keep  his  e}^es  anxiously  on  the  Simeuse  brothers. 
These  gentlemen  were  now  serving  in  the  army  of 
Conde  ;  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C3'gne  was  their  cousin  ; 
possibly  they  were  in  her  neighborhood,  and  were  sharers 
in  the  conspiracy  ;  if  so,  it  would  implicate  the  house  of 
Conde  to  which  they  were  devoted.  Talleyrand  and 
Fouche  were  bent  on  casting  light  into  this  dark  corner 
of  the  conspiracy  of  1803.  All  these  considerations 
Fouche  saw  at  a  glance,  rapidly  and  with  great  clearness. 
But  between  Malin,  TanVyrancl,  and  himself  there  were 
strong  ties  which  forced  him  to  the  utmost  circumspec- 
tion, and  made  him  anxious  to  know  the  exact  state  of 
things  within  the  walls  of  Gondreville.  Corentin  was 
unreservedly  attached  to  Fouche,  just  as  Monsieur  de 
la  Besnardiere  was  to  Talle3Trand,  Gentz  to  Monsieur 
de  Metternich,  Dundas  to  Pitt,  Duroc  to  Napoleon, 
Chavigny  to  Cardinal  Richelieu.  Corentin  was  not  the 
counsellor  of  his  master,  but  his  instrument,  the  Tristan 
to  this  Louis  XI.  of  low  estate.  Fouche  had  kept  him  in 
the  ministry  of  the  police  when  he  himself  left  it,  so  as 
to  still  keep  an  eye  and  a  finger  in  it.  It  was  said  that 
Corentin  belonged  to  Fouche  by  some  una  vowed  relation- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  96 

ship,  for  he  rewarded  him  lavishty  after  every  service. 
Corentin  had  a  friend  in  Peyrade,  the  old  pupil  of  the 
last  lieutenant  of  police  ;  but  he  kept  a  good  many  of 
his  secrets  from  him.  Fouche  gave  Corentin  an  order 
to  explore  the  chateau  of  Gondreville,  to  get  the  plan  of 
it  into  his  memory,  and  to  know  every  hiding-place 
within   its  walls. 

"  We  may  be  obliged  to  return  there,"  said  the  ex- 
minister,  precisely  as  Napoleon  told  his  lieutenants  to 
explore  the  field  of  Austerlitz  on  which  he  intended  to 
fall  back. 

Corentin  was  also  to  stud}7  Malin's  conduct,  discover 
what  influence  he  had  in  the  neighborhood,  and  observe 
the  men  whom  he  emplo}Ted.  Fouche  regarded  it  as 
certain  that  the  Simeuse  brothers  were  in  that  part  of 
the  country.  By  cautiously  watching  the  two  officers, 
who  were  closely  allied  with  the  Prince  de  Conde, 
Peyrade  and  Corentin  could  obtain  precious  light  on 
the  ramifications  of  the  conspirac}'  beyond  the  Rhine. 
In  any  case,  however,  Corentin  received  the  means, 
the  orders,  and  the  agents,  to  surround  the  chateau  of 
Cinq-Cygne  and  watch  the  whole  region,  from  the  forest 
of  Nodesme  into  Paris.  Fouche  insisted  on  the  utmost 
caution,  and  would  only  allow  a  domiciliary  visit  to 
Cinq-C}'gne  in  case  Malin  gave  them  some  positive 
information  which  made  it  necessary.  By  way  of  in- 
structions he  explained  to  Corentin  the  otherwise  inex- 


96  An  Historical  Mystery. 

plicable  personality  of  Micliu,  who  had  been  watched 
b}T  the  police  for  the  last  three  years.  Corentin's  idea 
was  that  of  his  master:  "  Malin  knows  all  about  the 
conspiracy —  But,"  he  added  to  himself,  "perhaps 
Fouche  does,  too;    who  knows?" 

Corentin,  having  started  for  Troyes  before  Malin, 
had  made  arrangements  with  the  commandant  of  the 
gendarmerie  in  that  town,  who  picked  out  a  number  of 
his  most  intelligent  men  and  placed  them  under  orders 
of  an  able  captain.  Corentin  chose  Gondreville  as 
the  place  of  rendezvous,  and  directed  the  captain  to 
send  some  of  his  men  at  night  in  four  detachments  to 
different  points  of  the  valley  of  Cinq-C}Tgne  at  sufficient 
distance  from  each  other  to  cause  no  alarm.  These 
four  pickets  were  to  form  a  square  and  close  in  around 
the  chateau  of  Cinq-Cygne.  By  leaving  Corentin  alone 
at  Gondreville  during  his  consultation  in  the  fields  with 
Grevin,  Malin  had  enabled  him  to  fulfil  part  of  Fouche's 
orders  and  explore  the  house.  When  the  Councillor  of 
State  returned  home  he  told  Corentin  so  positively  that 
the  d'Hauteserre  and  Simeuse  brothers  were  in  the 
neighborhood  and  probably  at  Cinq-Cygne  that  the  two 
agents  despatched  the  captain  with  the  rest  of  his  corn- 
pan}',  who,  fortunately  for  the  four  gentlemen,  crossed 
the  forest  on  their  wa}T  to  the  chateau  during  the  time 
when  Micliu  was  making  Violette  drunk.  Malin  had 
told  Corentin  and  Peyrade  of  the  escape  he  had  from 


An  Historical  Mystery.  97 

lying  in  wait  for  him.  The  two  agents  related  the  inci- 
dent of  the  gun  they  had  seen  the  bailiff  load,  and  Gre- 
vin  had  sent  Violette  to  obtain  information  as  to  what 
was  going  on  at  Michu's  home.  Corentin  advised  the 
notary  to  take  Malin  to  his  own  house  in  the  little 
town  of  Arcis,  and  let  him  sleep  there  as  a  measure  of 
precaution.  At  the  moment  when  Michu  and  his  wife 
were  rushing  through  the  forest  on  their  way  to  Cinq- 
Cygne,  Peyrade  and  Corentin  were  starting  from  Gon- 
dreville  for  Cinq-C}Tgne  in  a  shabby  wicker  carriage, 
drawn  by  one  post-horse  driven  by  the  corporal  of 
Arcis,  one  of  the  shrewdest  men  in  the  Legion,  whom 
the  commandant  at  Tro}'es  advised  them  to  emplo}T. 

"  The  surest  way  to  seize  them  all  is  to  warn  them," 
said  Peyrade  to  Corentin.  "At  the  moment  when 
they  are  well  frightened  and  are  trying  to  save  their 
papers  or  to  escape  we  '11  fall  upon  them  like  a  thunder- 
bolt. The  gendarmes  surround  the  chateau  now  and 
are  as  good  as  a  net.     We  sha'n't  lose  one  of  them  !  " 

4'  You  had  better  send  the  inavor  to  warn  them,"  said 
the  corporal.  "  He  is"  friendly  to  them  and  would  n't 
like  to  see  them  harmed  ;  they  won't  distrust  him." 

Just  as  Goulard  was  preparing  to  go  to  bed,  Corentin, 
who  stopped  the  vehicle  in  a  little  wood,  went  to  his 
house  and  told  him,  confidentially,  that  in  a  few  mo- 
ments an  emissary  from  the  government  would  require 
him  to  enter  the  chateau  of  Cinq-Cygne  and  arrest  the 

7 


98  An  Historical  Mystery. 

brothers  d'Hauteserre  and  Simeuse ;  and  in  case  they 
had  already  disappeared  he  would  have  to  ascertain  if 
they  had  slept  there  the  night  before,  search  Made- 
moiselle de  Cinq-Cygne's  papers,  and,  possibly,  arrest 
both  the  masters  and  servants  of  the  household. 

"Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne,"  said  Corentin,  "  is 
undoubtedly  protected  by  some  great  personages,  for  I 
have  received  private  orders  to  warn  her  of  this  visit, 
and  to  do  all  I  can  to  save  her  without  compromising 
myself.  Once  on  the  ground,  I  shall  no  longer  be  able 
to  do  so,  for  I  am  not  alone  ;  go  to  the  chateau  yourself 
and  warn  them." 

The  mayor's  visit  at  that  time  of  night  was  all  the 
more  bewildering  to  the  card-pla}'ers  when  they  saw 
the  agitation  of  his   face. 

"  Where  is  the  countess?  "  were  his  first  words. 

"  She  has  gone  to  bed,"  said  Madame  d'Hauteserre. 

The  ma}'or,  incredulous,  listened  to  noises  that  were 
heard  on  the  upper  floor. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you,  Goulard?"  said 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre. 

Goulard  was  dumb  with  surprise  as  he  noted  the 
tranquil  ease  of  the  faces  about  him.  Observing  the 
peaceful  and  innocent  game  of  cards  which  he  had  thus 
interrupted,  he  was  unable  to  imagine  what  the  Parisian 
police  meant  by  their  suspicions. 

At  that  moment  Laurence,  kneeling  in  her  oratorj% 


An  Historical  Mystery.  99 

was  praying  fervently  for  the  success  of  the  conspiracy. 
She  pra}Ted  to  God  to  send  help  and  succor  to  the  mur- 
derers of  Bonaparte.  She  implored  Him  ardentl}*  to 
destroy  that  fatal  being.  The  fanaticism  of  Harmodius, 
Judith,  Jacques  Clement,  Ankarstroem,  of  Charlotte 
Corday  and  Limoelan,  inspired  this  pure  and  virgin 
spirit.  Catherine  was  preparing  the  bed,  Gothard  was 
closing  the  blinds,  when  Marie  Michu  coming  under 
the  windows  flung  a  pebble  on  the  glass  and  was  seen 
at  once. 

"Mademoiselle,    here's   some   one/'    said    Gothard, 


seeing  a  woman. 


"  Hush  !  "  said  Marie,  in  a  low  voice,  "  Come  down 
and  speak  to  me." 

Gothard  was  in  the  garden  in  less  time  than  a  bird 
would  have  taken  to  fly  down  from  a  tree. 

"  In  a  minute  the  chateau  will  be  surrounded  by  the 
gendarmerie.  Saddle  mademoiselle's  horse  without 
making  any  noise  and  take  it  down  through  the  breach 
in  the  moat  between  the  stables  and  this  tower." 

Marthe  quivered  when  she  saw  Laurence,  who  had 
followed  Gothard,  standing  beside  her. 

"  What  is  it?"  asked  Laurence,  quietly. 

"The  conspiracy  against  the  First  Consul  is  dis- 
covered," replied  Marthe,  in  a  whisper.  "  M}r  hus- 
band, who  seeks  to  save  your  two  cousins,  sends  me  to 
ask  }'ou  to  come  and  speak  to  him." 


100  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Laurence  drew  back  and  looked  at  Marthe.  u  Who 
are  you?  "  she  said. 

"Marthe  Michu."     ' 

"  I  do  not  know  what  you  want  of  me,"  replied  the 
countess,  coldly. 

"Take  care,  you  will  kill  them.  Come  with  me,  I 
implore  you  in  the  Simeuse  name,"  said  Marthe,  clasp- 
ing her  hands  and  stretching  them  towards  Laurence. 
"  Have  }tou  papers  here  which  may  compromise  }Tou? 
If  so,  destro}f  them.  From  the  heights  over  there  nry 
husband  has  just  seen  the  silver-laced  hats  and  the 
muskets  of  the  gendarmerie." 

Gothard  had  already  clambered  to  the  ha}--loft  and 
seen  the  same  sight ;  he  heard  in  the  stillness  of  the 
evening  the  sound  of  their  horses'  hoofs.  Down  he 
slipped  into  the  stable  and  saddled  his  mistress's  mare, 
whose  feet  Catherine,  at  a  word  from  the  lad,  muffled 
in  linen. 

"Where  am  I  to  go?"  said  Laurence  to  Marthe, 
whose  look  and  language  bore  the  unmistakeable  signs 
of  sincerit}^. 

"Through  the  breach,"  she  replied;  "  nry  noble 
husband  is  there.  You  shall  learn  the  value  of  a 
'  Judas ' !  " 

Catherine  went  quickly  into  the  salon,  picked  up  the 
hat,  veil,  whip,  and  gloves  of  her  mistress,  and  disap- 
peared.    This   sudden    apparition  and   action  were   so 


An  Historical  Mystery.  101 

striking  a  commentary  on  the  mayor's  inquiry  that 
Madame  d'Hauteserre  and  the  abbe  exchanged  glances 
which  contained  the  melancholy  thought:  "Farewell 
to  all  our  peace  !  Laurence  is  conspiring ;  she  will  be 
the  death  of  her  cousins." 

"  But  what  do  you  really  mean?"  said  Monsieur 
d'Hauteserre  to  the  ma3*or. 

"  The  chateau  is  surrounded.  You  are  about  to 
receive  a  domiciliary  visit.  If  your  sons  are  here  tell 
them  to  escape,  and  the  Simeuse  brothers  too,  if  they 
are  with  them." 

"My  sons!"  exclaimed  Madame  d'Hauteserre, 
stupefied. 

"  We  have  seen  no  one,"  said  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre. 

"So  much  the  better,"  said  Goulard;  "but  I  care 
too  much  for  the  Cinq-Cygne  and  Simeuse  families  to 
let  any  harm  come  to  them.  Listen  to  me.  If  you 
have  any  compromising  papers  —  " 

"  Papers  !  "  repeated  the  old  gentleman. 

"  Yes,  if  you  have  any,  burn  them  at  once,"  said  the 
ma}Tor.     "  I  ?11  go  and  amuse  the  police  agents." 

Goulard,  whose  object  was  to  run  with  the  royalist 
hare  and  hold  with  the  republican  hounds,  left  the  room  ; 
at  that  moment  the  dogs  barked  violently. 

"  There  is  no  longer  time,"  said  the  abbe,  "  here  they 
come !  But  who  is  to  warn  the  countess  ?  Where  is 
she  ? " 


102  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Catherine  did  n't  come  for  her  hat  and  whip  to 
make  relics  of  them,"  remarked  Mademoiselle  Goujet. 

Goulard  tried  to  detain  the  two  agents  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, assuring  them  of  the  perfect  ignorance  of  the 
family  at  Cinq-Cygne. 

"  You  don't  know  these  people !  "  said  Peyrade, 
laughing   at  him. 

The  two  agents,  insinuatingly  dangerous,  entered  the 
house  at  once,  followed  b}T  the  corporal  from  Arcis  and 
one  gendarme.  The  sight  of  them  paralyzed  the  peace- 
ful card-players,  who  kept  their  seats  at  the  table,  terri- 
fied by  such  a  display  of  force.  The  noise  produced  by 
a  dozen  gendarmes  whose  horses  were  stamping  on  the 
terrace,  was  heard  without. 

"  I  do  not  see  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne,"  said 
Corentin. 

"  She  is  probably  asleep  in  her  bedroom,"  said  Mon- 
sieur d'Hauteserre. 

"  Come  with  me,  ladies,"  said  Corentin,  turning  to 
pass  through  the  ante-chamber  and  up  the  staircase,  fol- 
lowed by  Mademoiselle  Goujet  and  Madame  d'Haute- 
serre. "  Rely  upon  me,"  he  whispered  to  the  old 
lady.  "lam  in  your  interests.  I  sent  the  mayor  to 
warn  you.  Distrust  my  colleague  and  look  to  me.  I 
can  save  ever}'  one  of  you." 

"  But  what  is  it  all  about?  "  said  Mademoiselle 
Goujet. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  103 

"  A  matter  of  life  and  death  ;  you  must  know  that," 
replied  Corentin. 

Madame  d'Hauteserre  fainted.  To  Mademoiselle 
Goujet's  great  astonishment  and  Coren tin's  disappoint- 
ment, Laurence's  room  was  empty.  Certain  that  no 
one  could  have  escaped  from  the  park  or  the  chateau, 
for  all  the  issues  were  guarded,  Corentin  stationed  a 
gendarme  in  every  room  and  ordered  others  to  search 
the  farm  buildings,  stables,  and  sheds.  Then  he  re- 
turned to  the  salon,  where  Durieu  and  his  wife  and  the 
other  servants  had  rushed  in  the  wildest  excitement. 
Pe}Tade  was  studying  their  faces  with  his  little  blue 
eye,  cold  and  calm  in  the  midst  of  the  uproar.  Just  as 
Corentin  reappeared  alone  (Mademoiselle  Goujet  re- 
maining behind  to  take  care  of  Madame  d'Hauteserre) 
the  tramp  of  horses  was  heard,  and  presently  the  sound 
of  a  child's  weeping.  The  horses  entered  by  the  small 
gate ;  and  the  general  suspense  was  put  an  end  to  by 
a  corporal  appearing  at  the  door  of  the  salon  pushing 
Gothard,  whose  hands  were  tied,  and  Catherine  whom 
he  led  to  the  agents. 

"  Here  are  some  prisoners,"  he  said  ;  "  that  little  scamp 
was  escaping  on  horseback." 

"  Fool !  "  said  Corentin,  in  his  ear,  "  why  did  n't  you 
let  him  alone?  You  could  have  found  out  something 
by  following  him." 

Gothard  had  chosen  to  burst  into  tears  and  behave 


104  An  Historical  Mystery. 

like  an  idiot.  Catherine  took  an  attitude  of  artless 
innocence  which  made  the  old  agent  reflective.  The 
pupil  of  Lenoir,  after  considering  the  two  prisoners 
carefully,  and  noting  the  vacant  air  of  the  old  gentle- 
man whom  he  took  to  be  sly,  the  intelligent  eye  of  the 
abbe  who  was  still  fingering  the  cards,  and  the  utter 
stupefaction  of  the  servants  and  Durieu,  approached' 
Corentin  and  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  We  are  not  deal- 
ing with  ninnies." 

Corentin  answered  with  a  look  at  the  card-table  ;  then 
he  added.  "  They  were  playing  at  boston  !  Mademoi- 
selle's bed  was  just  being  made  for  the  night ;  she 
escaped  in  a  hurry ;  it  is  a  regular  surprise ;  we  shall 
catch  them." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  105 


VII. 

A  FOREST  NOOK. 

A  breach  has  always  a  cause  and  a  purpose.  Here 
is  the  explanation  of  how  the  one  which  led  from  the 
tower  called  that  of  Mademoiselle  and  the  stables  came 
to  be  made.  After  his  installation  as  Laurence's  guar- 
dian at  Cinq-Cygne  old  d'Hauteserre  converted  a  long 
ravine,  through  which  the  water  of  the  forest  flowed  into 
the  moat,  into  a  roadway  between  two  tracts  of  unculti- 
vated land  belonging  to  the  chateau,  by  merely  setting 
out  in  it  about  a  hundred  walnut-trees  which  he  found 
ready  in  the  nursery.  In  eleven  years  these  trees  had 
grown  and  branched  so  as  to  nearly  cover  the  road, 
hidden  already  by  steep  banks,  which  ran  into  a  little 
wood  of  thirty  acres  recently  purchased.  When  the 
chateau  had  its  full  complement  of  inhabitants  they 
all  preferred  to  take  this  covered  way  through  the 
breach  to  the  main  road  which  skirted  the  park  walls 
and  led  to  the  farm,  rather  than  go  round  by  the  en- 
trance. By  dint  of  thus  using  it  the  breach  on  the  sides 
of  the  moat  had  gradually  been  widened  on  both  sides, 
with  all  the  less  scruple  because  in  this  nineteenth  cen- 


106  An  Historical  Mystery. 

tury  of  ours  moats  are  no  longer  of  the  slightest  use, 
and  Laurence's  guardian  had  often  talked  of  putting 
this  one  to  some  other  purpose.  The  constant  crumb- 
ling away  of  the  earth  and  stones  and  gravel  had  ended 
by  filling  up  the  ditch,  so  that  only  after  heavy  rains 
was  the  causeway  thus  constructed  covered.  But  the 
bank  was  still  so  steep  that  it  was  difficult  to  make  a 
horse  descend  it,  and  even  more  difficult  to  get  him  up 
upon  the  main  road.  Horses,  however,  seem  in  times 
of  peril  to  share  their  masters'  thought. 

While  the  }Toung  countess  was  hesitating  to  follow 
Marthe,  and  asking  explanations,  Michu,  from  his  van- 
tage-ground watched  the  closing  in  of  the  gendarmes 
and  understood  their  plan.  He  grew  desperate  as  time 
went  by  and  the  countess  did  not  come  to  him.  A 
squad  of  gendarmes  were  marching  along  the  park  wall 
and  stationing  themselves  as  sentinels,  each  man  being 
near  enough  to  communicate  with  those  on  either  side 
of  him,  by  voice  and  e}'e.  Michu,  tying  flat  on  his 
stomach,  his  ear  to  earth,  gauged,  like  a  red  Indian,  by 
the  strength  of  the  sounds  the  time  that  remained  to 
him. 

"  I  came  too  late  !  "  he  said  to  himself.  "  Violette 
shall  pay  dear  for  this !  what  a  time  it  took  to  make 
him  drunk  !     What  can  be  done  ?  " 

He  heard  the  detachment  which  was  coming  through 
the  forest  reach  the  iron  gates  and  turn  into  the  main 


An  Historical  Mystery.  107 

road,  where  before  long  it  would  meet  the  squad  coming 
up  from  the  other  direction. 

"  Still  five  or  six  minutes  !  "  he  said. 

At  that  instant  the  countess  appeared.  Michu  took 
her  with  a  firm  hand  and  pushed  her  into  the  covered 
way. 

"  Keep  straight  before  you  !  Lead  ber  to  where  my 
horse  is,"  he  said  to  his  wife,  "  and  remember  that  gen- 
darmes have  ears." 

Seeing  Catherine,  who  carried  the  hat  and  whip,  and 
Gothard  leading  the  mare,  the  man,  keen-witted  in 
presence  of  danger,  bethought  himself  of  playing  the 
gendarmes  a  trick  as  useful  as  the  one  he  had  just 
played  Violette.  Gothard  had  forced  the  mare  to 
mount  the  bank. 

"Her  feet  muffled!  I  thank  thee,  boy,"  exclaimed 
the  bailiff. 

Michu  let  the  mare  follow  her  mistress  and  took  the 
hat,  gloves,  and  whip  from  Catherine. 

"  You  have  sense,  bo}',  3'ou'll  understand  me,"  he 
said.  "Force  your  own  horse  up  here,  jump  on  him, 
and  draw  the  gendarmes  after  you  across  the  fields 
towards  the  farm ;  get  the  whole  squad  to  follow  you  — 
And  3'ou,"  he  added  to  Catherine,  "there  are  other 
gendarmes  coming  up  on  the  road  from  Cinq-Cygne  to 
Gondreville ;  run  in  the  opposite  direction  to  the  one 
Gothard  takes,    and   draw   them   towards   the   forest. 


108  An  Historical  Mystery, 

Manage  so  that  we  shall  not  be  interfered  with  in  the 
covered  waj-." 

Catherine  and  the  bo}',  who  were  destined  to  give  in 
this  affair  such  remarkable  proofs  of  intelligence,  exe- 
cuted the  manoeuvre  in  a  wa}'  to  make  both  detachments 
of  gendarmes  believe  that  they  held  the  game.  The  dim 
light  of  the  moon  prevented  the  pursuers  from  distin- 
guishing the  figure,  clothing,  sex,  or  number  of  those 
they  followed.  The  pursuit  was  based  on  the  maxim, 
"  Always  arrest  those  who  are  escaping,"  —  the  folly  of 
which  sajing  was,  as  we  have  seen,  energetically  declared 
by  Corentin  to  the  corporal  in  command.  Micku,  count- 
ing on  this  instinct  of  the  gendarmes,  was  able  to  reach 
the  forest  a  few  moments  after  the  countess,  whom 
Marthe  had  guided  to  the  appointed  place. 

"Go  home  now,"  he  said  to  Marthe.  "  The  forest 
is  watched  and  it  is  dangerous  to  remain  here.  We 
need  all  our  freedom." 

Michu  unfastened  his  horse  and  asked  the  countess  to 
follow  him. 

"  I  shall  not  go  a  step  further,"  said  Laurence,  "  un- 
less you.  give  me  some  proof  of  the  interest  }tou  seem  to 
have  in  us  —  for,  after  all,  you  are  Michu." 

"Mademoiselle,"  he  answered,  in  a  gentle  voice; 
"  the  part  I  am  playing  can  be  explained  to  you  in  two 
words.  I  am,  unknown  to  the  Marquis  de  Simeuse  and 
his  brother,  the  guardian  of  their  property.     On  this 


An  Historical  Mystery.  109 

subject  I  received  the  last  instructions  of  their  late 
father  and  their  dear  mother,  my  protectress.  I  have 
played  the  part  of  a  virulent  Jacobin  to  serve  my  dear 
young  masters.  Unhappily,  I  began  this  course  too 
late  ;  I  could  not  save  their  parents."  Here,  Michu's 
voice  broke  down.  "  Since  the  young  men  emigrated  I 
have  sent  them  regularly  the  sums  they  needed  to  live 
upon." 

"  Through  the  house  of  Breintma}rer  of  Strasburg?  " 
asked  the  countess. 

"  Yes,  mademoiselle  ;  the  correspondents  of  Monsieur 
Girel  of  Tro}'es,  a  roj'alist  who,  like  me,  made  himself 
for  good  reasons,  a  Jacobin.  The  paper  which  3-our 
farmer  picked  up  one  evening  and  which  I  forced  him 
to  surrender,  related  to  the  affair  and  would  have  com- 
promised }Tour  cousins.  My  life  no  longer  belongs  to 
me,  but  to  them,  }'ou  understand.  I  could  not  buy  in 
Gondreville.  In  nry  position,  I  should  have  lost  my 
head  had  the  authorities  known  I  had  the  money.  I 
preferred  to  wait  and  buy  it  later.  But  that  scoundrel 
of  a  Marion  was  the  slave  of  another  scoundrel,  Malin. 
All  the  same,  Gondreville  shall  once  more  belong  to  its 
rightful  masters.  That 's  my  affair.  Four  hours  ago  I 
had  Malin  sighted  by  m}r  gun  ;  ha  !  he  was  almost  gone 
then  !  Were  he  dead,  the  property  would  be  sold  and 
}rou  could  have  bought  it.  In  case  of  my  death  my 
wife  would  have  brought  you  a  letter  which  would  have 


110  An  Historical  Mystery. 

given  you  the  means  of  buying  it.  But  I  overheard 
that  villain  telling  his  accomplice  Grevin  —  another 
scoundrel  like  himself  —  that  the  Marquis  and  his 
brother  were  conspiring  against  the  First  Consul,  that 
they  were  here  in  the  neighborhood,  and  that  he  meant 
to  give  them  up  and  get  rid  of  them  so  as  to  keep  Gon- 
dreville  in  peace.  I  myself  saw  the  police  spies  ;  I  laid 
aside  my  gun,  and  I  have  lost  no  time  in  coming  here, 
thinking  that  you  must  be  the  one  to  know  best  how  to 
warn  the  }Toung  men.     That's  the  whole  of  it." 

"  You  are  worthy  to  be  a  noble,."  said  Laurence, 
offering  her  hand  to  Michu,  who  tried  to  kneel  and  kiss 
it.  She  saw  his  motion  and  prevented  it,  saying: 
"  Stand  up  !  "  in  a  tone  of  voice  and  with  a  look  which 
made  him  amends  for  all  the  scorn  of  the  last  twelve 
years. 

* '  You  reward  me  as  though  I  had  done  all  that  re- 
mains for  me  to  do,"  he  said.  "  But  don't  you  hear 
them,  those  huzzars  of  the  guillotine?  Let  us  go 
elsewhere." 

He  took  the  mare's  bridle  and  led  her  a  little  distance. 

"  Think  only  of  sitting  firm,"  he  said,  "  and  of  saving 
3rour  head  from  the  branches  of  the  trees  which  might 
strike  you  in  the  face." 

Then  he  mounted  his  own  horse  and  guided  the  3"oung 
girl  for  half  an  hour  at  full  gallop ;  making  turns  and 
half  turns,  and  striking  into  wood-paths,  so  as  to  con- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  Ill 

fuse  their  traces,   until  they  reached  a  spot  where  he 
pulled   up. 

'  "I  don't  know  where  I  am,"  said  the  countess  look- 
ing about  her,  —  "I,  who  know  the  forest  as  well  as 
3*011  do." 

"  We  are  in  the  heart  of  it,"  he  replied.  "  Two  gen- 
darmes are  after  us,  but  we  are  quite  safe." 

The  picturesque  spot  to  which  the  bailiff  had  guided 
Laurence  was  destined  to  be  so  fatal  to  the  principal 
personages  of  this  drama,  and  to  Michu  himself,  that  it 
becomes  our  dut}T,  as  an  historian,  to  describe  it.  The 
scene  became,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter,  one  of  noted 
interest  in  the  judiciary  annals  of  the  Empire. 

The  forest  of  Nodesme  belonged  to  the  monastery  of 
Notre-Dame.  That  monasteiy,  seized,  sacked,  and 
demolished,  had  disappeared  entirely,  monks  and  prop- 
erty. The  forest,  an  object  of  much  cupidity,  was 
taken  into  the  domain  of  the  Comtes  de  Champagne, 
who  mortgaged  it  later  and  allowed  it  to  be  sold.  In 
the  course  of  six  centuries  nature  covered  its  ruins  with 
her  rich  and  vigorous  green  mantle,  and  effaced  them  so 
thoroughly  that  the  existence  of  one  of  the  finest  con- 
vents was  no  longer  even  indicated  except  by  a  slight 
eminence  shaded  by  noble  trees  and  circled  by  thick, 
impenetrable  shrubbery,  which,  since  1794,  Michu  had 
taken  great  pains  to  make  still  more  impenetrable  by 
planting  the  thorn}'  acacia  in  all  the  slight  openings 


112  An  Historical  Mystery. 

between  the  bushes.  A  pond  was  at  the  foot  of  the 
eminence  and  showed  the  existence  of  a  hidden  stream 
which  no  doubt  determined  in  former  days  the  site  of 
the  monastery.  The  late  owner  of  the  title  to  the  forest 
of  Nodesme  was  the  first  to  recognize  the  etymology  of 
the  name,  which  dated  back  for  eight  centuries,  and  to 
discover  that  at  one  time  a  monaster}*  had  existed  in 
the  heart  of  the  forest.  When  the  first  rumblings  of 
the  thunder  of  the  Revolution  were  heard,  the  Marquis 
de  Simeuse,  who  had  been  forced  to  look  into  his  title 
b}T  a  lawsuit  and  so  learned  the  above  facts  as  it  were 
by  chance,  began,  with  a  secret  intention  not  difficult 
to  conceive,  to  search  for  some  remains  of  the  former 
monastery.  The  keeper,  Michu,  to  whom  the  forest 
was  well  known,  helped  his  master  in  the  search,  and  it 
was  his  sagacity  as  a  forester  which  led  to  the  dis- 
covery of  the  site.  Observing  the  trend  of  the  five 
chief  roads  of  the  forest,  some  of  which  were  now 
effaced,  he  saw  that  they  all  ended  either  at  the  little 
eminence  or  by  the  pond  at  the  foot  of  it,  to  which 
points  travellers  from  Troj'es,  from  the  valle}T  of  Arcis 
and  that  of  Cinq-Cj'gne,  and  from  Bar-sur-Aube  doubt- 
less came.  The  marquis  wished  to  excavate  the  hillock, 
but  he  dared  not  employ  the  people  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. Pressed  bj*  circumstances,  he  abandoned  the 
intention,  leaving  in  Michu's  mind  a  strong  conviction 
that  the  eminence  had  either  the  treasure  or  the  found  a- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  113 

tions  of  the  former  abbe}\  He  continued,  all  alone, 
this  archaeological  enterprise ;  he  sounded  the  earth 
and  discovered  a  hollowness  on  the  level  of  the  pond 
between  two  trees,  at  the  foot  of  the  only  craggy  part 
of  the  hillock. 

One  fine  night  he  came  to  the  place  armed  with  a 
pickaxe,  and  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow  uncovered  a  suc- 
cession of  cellars,  which  were  entered  by  a  flight  of 
stone  steps.  The  pond,  which  was  three  feet  deep  in  the 
middle,  formed  a  sort  of  dipper,  the  handle  of  which 
seemed  to  come  from  the  little  eminence,  and  went  far 
to  prove  that  a  spring  had  once  issued  from  the  crags, 
and  was  now  lost  by  infiltration  through  the  forest. 
The  niarshy  shores  of  the  pond,  covered  with  aquatic 
trees,  alders,  willow,  and  ash,  were  the  terminus  of  all 
the  wood-paths,  the  remains  of  former  roads  and  forest 
by-ways,  now  abandoned.  The  water,  flowing  from  a 
spring,  though  apparently  stagnant,  was  covered  with 
large-leaved  plants  and  cresses,  which  gave  it  a  per- 
fectly green  surface  almost  indistinguishable  from  the 
shores,  which  were  covered  with  fine  close  herbage. 
The  place  is  too  far  from  human  habitations  for  any 
animal,  unless  a  wild  one,  to  come  there.  Convinced 
that  no  game  was  in  the  marsh  and  repelled  b}'  the 
craggy  sides  of  the  hills,  keepers  and  hunters  had  never 
explored  or  visited  this  nook,  which  belonged  to  a  part 
of  the  forest  where   the  timber  had   not  been  cut   for 

8 


114  An  Historical  Mystery. 

man}T  years  and  which  Michu  meant  to  keep  in  its  full 
growth  when  the  time  came  round  to  fell  it. 

At  the  further  end  of  the  first  cellar  was  a  vaulted 
chamber,  clean  and  dry,  built  with  hewn  stone,  a  sort  of 
convent  dungeon,  such  as  they  called  in  monastic  da}'S 
the  in  pace.  The  salubrit}7  of  the  chamber  and  the 
preservation  of  this  part  of  the  staircase  and  of  the 
vaults  were  explained  by  the  presence  of  the  spring, 
which  had  been  inclosed  at  some  time  by  a  wall  of 
extraordinary  thickness  built  in  brick  and  cement  like 
those  of  the  Romans,  and  received  all  the  waters. 
Michu  closed  the  entrance  to  this  retreat  with  large 
stones ;  then,  to  keep  the  secret  of  it  to  himself  and 
make  it  impenetrable  to  others,  he  made  a  rule  never  to 
enter  it  except  from  the  wooded  height  above,  by  clam- 
bering down  the  crag  instead  of  approaching  it  by  the 
pond. 

Just  as  the  fugitives  arrived,  the  moon  was  casting 
her  beautiful  silvery  light  on  the  aged  tree-tops  above 
the  crag,  and  flickering  on  the  splendid  foliage  at  the 
corners  of  the  several  paths,  all  of  which  ended  here, 
some  with  one  tree,  some  with  a  group  of  trees.  On  all 
sides  the  e}'e  was  irresistibly  led  along  their  vanishing 
perspectives,  following  the  curve  of  a  wood-path  or  the 
solemn  stretch  of  a  forest  glade  flanked  by  a  wall  of 
verdure  that  was  nearly  black.  The  moonlight,  filter- 
ing through  the  branches  of  the  crosswaj's,  made  the 


An  Historical  Mystery.  115 

lonely,  tranquil  waters,  where  they  peeped  between  the 
cresses  and  the  lily-pads,  sparkle  like  diamonds.  The 
croaking  of  the  frogs  broke  the  deep  silence  of  this 
beautiful  forest-nook,  the  wild  odors  of  which  incited 
the  soul  to  thoughts  of  liberty. 

"  Are  we  safe?  "  said  the  countess  to  Michu. 

"Yes,  mademoiselle.  But  we  have  each  some  work 
to  do.  Do  you  go  and  fasten  our  horses  to  the  trees  at 
the  top  of  the  little  hill ;  tie  a  handkerchief  round  the 
mouth  of  each  of  them/'  he  said,  giving  her  his  cravat; 
"  j'our  beast  and  mine  are  both  intelligent,  they  will 
understand  they  are  not  to  neigh.  When  }T>u  have 
done  that,  come  down  the  crag  directly  above  the  pond  ; 
but  don't  let  j'our  habit  catch  an\'where.  You  will  find 
me  below." 

"While  the  countess  hid  the  horses  and  tied  and 
gagged  them,  Michu  removed  the  stones  and  opened  the 
entrance  to  the  caverns.  The  countess,  who  thought 
she  knew  the  forest  by  heart,  was  amazed  when  she 
descended  into  the  vaulted  chambers.  Michu  replaced 
the  stones  above  them  with  the  dexterity  of  a  mason. 
As  he  finished,  the  sound  of  horses'  feet  and  the  voices 
of  the  gendarmes  echoed  in  the  darkness  ;  but  he  quietly 
struck  a  match,  lighted  a  resinous  bit  of  wood  and  led 
the  countess  to  the  in  pace,  where  there  was  still  a  piece 
of  the  candle  with  which  he  had  first  explored  the  caves. 
An  iron  door  of  some  thickness,  eaten  in  several  places 


116  An  Historical  Mystery. 

by  rust,  had  been  put  in  good  order  by  the  bailiff,  and 
could  be  fastened  securely  by  bars  slipping  into  holes  in 
the  wall  on  either  side  of  it.  The  countess,  half  dead 
with  fatigue,  sat  down  on  a  stone  bench,  above  which 
there  still  remained  an  iron  ring,  the  staple  of  which  was 
imbedded  in  the  masonry. 

"  We  have  a  salon  to  converse  in,"  said  Michu. 
"  The  gendarmes  may  prowl  as  much  as  they  like  ;  the 
worst  the}'  could  do  would  be  to  take  our  horses." 

"  If  the}'  do  that,"  said  Laurence,  "it  would  be  the 
death  of  my  cousins  and  the  Messieurs  d'Hauteserre. 
Tell  me  now,  what  do  you  know?" 

Michu  related  what  he  had  overheard  Malin  say  to 
Grevin. 

"  They  are  already  on  the  road  to  Paris ;  they  were 
to  enter  it  to-morrow  morning,"  said  the  countess  when 
he  had  finished. 

"Lost!"  exclaimed  Michu.  "All  persons  entering 
or  leaving  the  barriers  are  examined.  Malin  has  strong 
reasons  to  let  my  masters  compromise  themselves ;  he 
is  seeking  to  get  them  killed  out  of  his  way." 

"  And  I,  who  don't  know  anything  of  the  general 
plan  of  the  affair,"  cried  Laurence,  "  how  can  I  warn 
Georges,  Riviere  and  Moreau?  Where  are  they?  — 
However,  let  us  think  only  of  my  cousins  and  the 
d'Hauteserres ;  you  must  catch  up  with  them,  no  mat- 
ter what  it  costs." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  117 

"The  telegraph  goes  faster  than  the  best  horse," 
said  Michu ;  "and  of  all  the  nobles  concerned  in  this 
conspiracy  your  cousins  are  the  closest  watched.  If  I 
can  find  them,  the}r  must  be  hidden  here  and  kept  here 
till  the  affair  is  over.  Their  poor  father  may  have  had 
a  foreboding  when  he  set  me  to  search  for  this  hiding- 
place  ;  perhaps  he  felt  that  his  sons  would  be  saved 
here." 

"  My  mare  is  from  the  stables  of  the  Corate  d'Artois, 
—  she  is  the  daughter  of  his  finest  English  horse,"  said 
Laurence;  "but  she  has  already  gone  sixty  miles,  she 
would  drop  dead  before  you  reached  them." 

"Mine  is  in  good  condition,"  replied  Michu; 
"  and  if  you  did  sixty  miles  I  shall  have  only  thirty 
to  do." 

"  Nearer  forty,"  she  said,  "  they  have  been  walking 
since  dark.  You  will  overtake  them  beyond  Lagny, 
at  Coupvrai,  where  they  expected  to  be  at  daybreak. 
They  are  disguised  as  sailors,  and  will  enter  Paris  by 
the  river  on  some  vessel.  This,"  she  added,  taking 
half  of  her  mother's  wedding-ring  from  her  finger,  "  is 
the  only  thing  which  will  make  them  trust  you ;  they 
have  the  other  half.  The  keeper  of  Coupvrai  is  the 
father  of  one  of  their  soldiers  ;  he  has  hidden  them  to- 
night in  a  hut  in  the  forest  deserted  by  charcoal-burners. 
They  are  eight  in  all,  Messieurs  d'Hauteserre  and  four 
others  are  with  my  cousins." 


118  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Mademoiselle,  no  one  is  looking  for  the  others  !  let 
them  save  themselves  as  they  can  ;  we  must  think  only 
of  the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse.  It  is  enough  just  to  warn 
the  rest." 

"What!  abandon  the  d'Hauteserres ?  never!"  she 
said.     ' '  They  must  all  perish  or  be  saved  together  !  " 

44  Onty  petty  noblemen  !  "  remarked  Michu. 

44  They  are  only  chevaliers,  I  know  that,"  she  replied, 
44  but  they  are  related  to  the  Cinq-Cygne  and  Simeuse 
blood.  Save  them  all,  and  advise  with  them  how  best 
to  regain  this  forest." 

44  The  gendarmes  are  here,  —  don't  you  hear  them? 
they  are  holding  a  council  of  war." 

44  Well,  you  have  twice  had  luck  to-night ;  go  !  bring 
my  cousins  here  and  hide  them  in  these  vaults  ;  they  '11 
be  safe  from  all  pursuit  —  Alas  !  I  am  good  for  noth- 
ing !  "  she  cried,  with  rage  ;  "  I  should  be  only  a  beacon 
to  light  the  enemy  —  but  the  police  will  never  imagine 
that  my  cousins  are  in  the  forest  if  the}7  see  me  at  my 
ease.  So  the  question  resolves  itself  into  this :  how 
can  we  get  five  good  horses  to  bring  them  in  six  hours 
from  Lagny  to  the  forest,  —  five  horses  to  be  killed  and 
hidden  in  some  thicket." 

44  And  the  money?"  said  Michu,  who  was  thinking 
deeply  as  he  listened  to  the  }'oung  countess. 

4CI  gave  my  cousins  a  hundred  louis  this  evening," 
she  replied. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  119 

"I'll  answer  for  them!"  cried  Michu.  "  But  once 
hidden  here  you  must  not  attempt  to  see  them.  Mjt 
wife,  or  the  little  one,  shall  bring  them  food  twice  a 
week.  But,  as  I  can't  be  sure  of  what  may  happen  to 
me,  remember,  mademoiselle,  in  case  of  trouble,  that 
the  main  beam  in  my  hay-loft  has  been  bored  with  an 
auger.  In  the  hole,  which  is  plugged  with  a  bit  of 
wood,  you  will  find  a  plan  showing  how  to  reach  this 
spot.  The  trees  which  you  will  find  marked  writh  a 
red  dot  on  the  plan  have  a  black  mark  at  their  foot 
close  to  the  earth.  Each  of  these  trees  is  a  sign- 
post. At  the  foot  of  the  third  old  oak  which  stands 
to  the  left  of  each  sign-post,  two  feet  in  front  of  it 
and  buried  seven  feet  in  the  ground,  you  will  find  a 
large  metal  tube  ;  in  each  tube  are  one  hundred  thou- 
sand francs  in  gold.  These  eleven  trees  —  there  are 
only  eleven  —  contain  the  whole  fortune  of  the  Si- 
meuse  brothers,  now  that  Gondreville  has  been  taken 
from  them." 

"  It  will  take  a  hundred  years  for  the  nobility  to 
recover  from  such  blows,"  said  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq- 
Cygne,  slowty. 

"  Is  there  a  pass- word?  "  asked  Michu. 

"  '  France  and  Charles '  for  the  soldiers,  '  Laurence 
and  Louis '  for  the  Messieurs  cVHauteserre  and  Simeuse. 
Good  God !  to  think  that  I  saw  them  yesterday  for  the 
first  time  in  eleven  j-ears,  and  that  now  they  are  in  dan- 


120  An  Historical  Mystery. 

ger  of  death  —  and  what  a  death !  Michu,"  she  said, 
with  a  melancholy  look,  "be  as  prudent  during  the 
next  fifteen  hours  as  you  have  been  grand  and  devoted 
during  the  last  twelve  years.  If  disaster  were  to  over- 
take my  cousins  now  I  should  die  of  it —  No,"  she 
added,  quickly,  "  I  would  live  long  enough  to  kill 
Bonaparte." 

"  There  will  be  two  of  us  to  do  that  when  all  is  lost," 
said  Michu. 

Laurence  took  his  rough  hand  and  wrung  it  warmly, 
as  the  English  do.  Michu  looked  at  his  watch  ;  it  was 
midnight. 

"  We  must  leave  here  at  any  cost,"  he  said.  "Death 
to  the  gendarme  who  attempts  to  stop  me  !  And  you, 
madame  la  comtesse,  without  presuming  to  dictate, 
ride  back  to  Cinq-C}-gne  as  fast  as  you  can.  The 
police  are  there  by  this  time ;  fool  them !  delay 
them ! " 

The  hole  once  opened,  Michu  flung  himself  down  with 
his  ear  to  the  earth  ;  then  he  rose  precipitately.  "  The 
gendarmes  are  at  the  edge  of  the  forest  towards 
Troyes!  "  he  said.  "  Ha,  I'll  get  the  better  of  them 
yet ! " 

He  helped  the  countess  to  come  out,  and  replaced  the 
stones.  When  this  was  done  he  heard  her  soft  voice 
telling  him  she  must  see  him  mounted  before  mounting 
herself.     Tears  came  to  the  eyes  of  the  stern  man  as  he 


An  Historical  Mystery, 


X  —  » 


exchanged  a  last  look  with  his  young  mistress,  "whose 
own  eyes  were  tearless. 

"Fool  them!  yes,  he  is  right!"  she  said  when 
she  heard  him  no  longer.  Then  she  darted  towards 
Cinq-Cygne  at  full  gallop. 


AxisH&Aiaa 


122  An  Historical  Mystery, 


VIII. 

TRIALS  OF  THE  POLICE. 

Madame  d'Hauteserre,  roused  by  the  danger  of  her 
sons,  and  not  believing  that  the  Revolution  was  over, 
but  still  fearing  its  summary  justice,  recovered  her 
senses  by  the  violence  of  the  same  distress  which  made 
her  lose  them.  Led  by  an  agonizing  curiosity  she  re- 
turned to  the  salon,  which  presented  a  picture  worthy  of 
the  brush  of  a  genre  painter.  The  abbe,  still  seated  at 
the  card-table  and  mechanically  playing  with  the  coun- 
ters, was  covertly  observing  Corentin  and  PejTade,  who 
were  standing  together  at  a  corner  of  the  fireplace  and 
speaking  in  a  low  voice.  Several  times  Corentin's  keen 
e}Te  met  the  not  less  keen  glance  of  the  priest ;  but,  like 
two  adversaries  who  knew  themselves  equally  strong,  and 
who  return  to  their  guard  after  crossing  their  weapons, 
each  averted  his  eyes  the  instant  they  met.  The 
worthy  old  d'Hauteserre,  poised  on  his  long  thin  legs 
like  a  heron,  was  standing  beside  the  stout  form  of  the 
mayor,  in  an  attitude  expressive  of  utter  stupefaction. 
The  mayor,  though  dressed  as  a  bourgeois,  always 
looked  like  a  servant.  Each  gazed  with  a  bewildered 
e}re  at  the  gendarmes,  in  whose  clutches  Gothard  was 


An  Historical  Mystery.  123 

still  sobbing,  his  hands  purple  and  swollen  from  the 
tightness  of  the  cord  that  bound  them.  Catherine  main- 
tained her  attitude  of  artless  simplicity,  which  was  quite 
impenetrable.  The  corporal,  who,  according  to  Corentin, 
had  committed  a  great  blunder  in  arresting  these  smaller 
fry,  did  not  know  whether  to  stay  where  he  was  or  to 
depart.  He  stood  pensively  in  the  middle  of  the  salon, 
his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sabre,  his  eye  on  the  two 
Parisians.  The  Durieus,  also  stupefied,  and  the  other 
servants  of  the  chateau  made  an  admirable  group  of 
expressive  uneasiness.  If  it  had  not  been  for  Gothard's 
convulsive  snifflings  those  present  could  have  heard  the 
flies  fly. 

When  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  pale  and  terrified, 
opened  the  door  and  entered  the  room,  almost  carried 
by  Mademoiselle  Goujet,  whose  red  eyes  had  evidently 
been  weeping,  all  faces  turned  to  her  at  once.  The 
two  agents  hoped  as  much  as  the  household  feared  to 
see  Laurence  enter.  This  spontaneous  movement  of 
both  masters  and  servants  seemed  produced  b}T  the 
sort  of  mechanism  which  makes  a  number  of  wooden 
figures  perform  the  same  gesture  or  wink  the  same  eye. 

Madame  d'Hauteserre  advanced  by  three  rapid  strides 
towards  Corentin  and  said,  in  a  broken  voice  but  vio- 
lently:  "For  pity's  sake,  monsieur,  tell  me  what  my 
sons  are  accused  of.  Do  you  really  think  they  have 
been  here?" 


124  An  Historical  Mystery. 

The  abbe,  who  seemed  to  be  saying  to  himself  when 
he  saw  the  old  lady,  "  She  will  certainly  commit  some 
folly,"  lowered  his  eyes. 

"  My  duty  and  the  mission  I  am  engaged  in  forbid 
me  to  tell  you,"  answered  Corentin,  with  a  gracious  but 
rather  mocking  air. 

This  refusal,  which  the  detestable  politeness  of  the 
vulgar  fop  seemed  to  make  all  the  more  emphatic,  petri- 
fied the  poor  mother,  who  fell  into  a  chair  beside  the 
Abbe  Goujet,  clasped  her  hands  and  began  to  pra}\ 

"  Where  did  you  arrest  that  blubber?  "  asked  Coren- 
tin, addressing  the  corporal  and  pointing  to  Laurence's 
little  henchman. 

44  On  the  road  that  leads  to  the  farm  along  the  park 
walls  ;  the  little  scamp  had  nearly  reached  the  Closeaux 
woods,"  replied  the  corporal. 

"And  that  girl?" 

"  She?  oh,  it  was  Oliver  who  caught  her." 

44  Where  was  she  going?  " 

"  Towards  Gondreville." 

"They  were  going  in  opposite  directions?"  said 
Corentin." 

44  Yes,"  replied  the  gendarme. 

44  Is  that  boy  the  groom,  and  the  girl  the  maid  of  the 
citizeness  Cinq-Cygne  ?  "  said  Corentin  to  the  mayor. 

44  Yes,"  replied  Goulard. 

After  Corentin   had   exchanged   a   few  words   with 


An  Historical  Mystery.  125 

Peyrade  in  a  whisper,  the  latter  left  the  room,  taking 
the  corporal  of  gendarmes  with  him. 

Just  then  the  corporal  of  Arcis  made  his  appearance. 
He  went  up  to  Corentin  and  spoke  to  him  in  a  low 
voice:  "I  know  these  premises  well,"  he  said;  "I 
have  searched  everywhere  ;  unless  those  young  fellows 
are  buried,  the}'  are  not  here.  We  have  sounded  all 
the  floors  and  walls  with  the  butt  end  of  our  muskets." 

Peyrade,  who  present^  returned,  signed  to  Corentin 
to  come  out,  and  then  took  him  to  the  breach  in  the 
moat  and  showed  him  the  sunken  way. 

44  We  have  guessed  the  trick,"  said  Pe}Tade. 

"  And  Ull  tell  you  how  it  was  done,"  added  Corentin. 
44  That  little  scamp  and  the  girl  decoyed  those  idiots  of 
gendarmes  and  thus  made  time  for  the  game  to  escape." 

44  "We  can't  know  the  truth  till  daylight,"  said  Pe}- 
rade.  44  The  road  is  damp;  I  have  ordered  two  gen- 
darmes to  barricade  it  top  and  bottom.  We  '11  examine 
it  after  daylight,  and  find  out  by  the  footsteps  who  went 
that  way." 

"  I  see  a  hoof-mark/'  said  Corentin  ;  44  let  us  go  to 
the  stables." 

44  How  many  horses  do  you  keep?"  said  Peyrade, 
returning  to  the  salon  with  Corentin,  and  addressing 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  and  Goulard. 

44  Come,  monsieur  le  maire,  you  know,  answer,"  cried 
Corentin,  seeing  that  that  functionary  hesitated. 


126  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Wh}T,  there  's  the  countess's  mare,  Gothard's  horse, 
and  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre's." 

"  There  is  only  one  in  the  stable,"  said  Peyrade. 

"Mademoiselle  is  out  riding,"  said  Durieu. 

u  Does  she  often  ride  about  at  this  time  of  night?" 
said  the  libertine  Peyrade,  addressing  Monsieur  d'Haute- 
serre. 

"  Often,"  said  the  good  man,  simply.  "  Monsieur  le 
maire  can  tell  you  that." 

"  Eveiybody  knows  she  has  her  freaks,"  remarked 
Catherine  ;  ' '  she  looked  at  the  sky  before  she  went  to 
bed,  and  I  think  the  glitter  of  3-our  bayonets  in  the 
moonlight  puzzled  her.  She  told  me  she  wanted  to 
know  if  there  was  going  to  be  another  revolution." 

"  When  did  she  go?  "  asked  Peyrade. 

"  When  she  saw  3'our  guns." 

"  Which  road  did  she  take?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  There's  another  horse  missing,"  said  Corentin. 

"The  gendarmes  —  took  it  —  away  from  me,"  saiu 
Gothard. 

"  Where  were  }tou  going?  "  said  one  of  them. 

"I  was  —  following  —  my  mistress  to  the  farm," 
sobbed  the  boy. 

The  gendarme  looked  towards  Corentin  as  if  expect- 
ing an  order.  But  Gothard's  speech  was  evidently  so 
true   and  yet  so   false,  so  perfectly  innocent   and  so 


An  Historical  Mystery.  127 

artful  that  the  two  Parisians  again  looked  at  eacli  other 
as  if  to  echo  Peyrade's  former  words :  "  They  are  not 
ninnies." 

Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  seemed  incapable  of  a  word  ; 
the  mayor  was  bewildered ;  the  mother,  imbecile  from 
maternal  fears,  was  putting  questions  to  the  police 
agents  that  were  idiotically  innocent ;  the  servants  had 
been  roused  from  their  sleep.  Judging  by  these  trifling 
signs,  and  these  diverse  characters,  Corentin  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  his  only  real  adversary  was  Made- 
moiselle de  Cinq-Cygne.  Shrewd  and  dexterous  as  the 
police  may  be,  "they  are  always  under  certain  disadvan- 
tages. Not  only  are  they  forced  to  discover  all  that  is 
known  to  a  conspirator,  but  they  must  also  suppose  and 
test  a  great  number  of  things  before  the}-  hit  upon  the 
right  one.  The  conspirator  is  always  thinking  of  his 
own  safety,  whereas  the  police  is  only  on  duty  at  cer- 
tain hours.  Were  it  not  for  treachery  and  betrayals, 
nothing  would  be  easier  than  to  conspire  successfully. 
The  conspirator  has  more  mind  concentrated  upon  him- 
self than  the  police  can  bring  to  bear  with  all  its  vast 
facilities  of  action.  Finding  themselves  stopped  short 
morally,  as  they  might  be  physically  by  a  door  which 
they  expected  to  find  open  being  shut  in  their  faces, 
Corentin  and  Peyrade  saw  the}'  were  tricked  and  misled, 
without  knowing  bv  whom. 

"  I  assert,"  said  the  corporal  of  Arcis,  in  their  ear, 


128  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  that  if  the  four  young  men  slept  here  last  night  it 
must  have  been  in  the  beds  of  the  father  and  mother, 
and  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne,  or  those  of  the  ser- 
vants ;  or  they  must  have  spent  the  night  in  the  park. 
There  is  not  a  trace  of  their  presence." 

"  Who  could  have  warned  them?  "  said  Corentin,  to 
Peyrade.  "  No  one  but  the  First  Consul,  Fouche,  the 
ministers,  the  prefect  of  police,  and  Malin  knew  any- 
thing about  it." 

"  We  must  set  spies  in  the  neighborhood,"  whispered 
Pej'rade. 

"  And  watch  the  spies,"  said  the  abbe,  who  smiled  as 
he  overheard  the  word  and  guessed  all. 

"Good  God!"  thought  Corentin,  replying  to  the 
abbe's  smile  with  one  of  his  own ;  "  there  is  but  one 
intelligent  being  here,  —  he  's  the  one  to  come  to  an 
understanding  with;  I'll  try  him." 

"Gentlemen  — "  said  the  mayor,  anxious  to  give 
some  proof  of  devotion  to  the  First  Consul  and  address- 
ing the  two  agents. 

"  Say  l  citizens  ; '  the  Republic  still  exists,"  interrupted 
Corentin,  looking  at  the  priest  with  a  quizzical  air. 

"Citizens,"  resumed  the  mayor,  "just  as  I  entered 
this  salon  and  before  I  had  opened  my  mouth  Catherine 
rushed  in  and  took  her  mistress's  hat,  gloves,  and 
whip." 

A  low  murmur  of  horror  came  from  the  breasts  of  all 


An  Historical  Mystery.  129 

the  household  except  Gothard.  All  eyes  but  those  of 
the  agents  and  the  gendarmes  were  turned  threateningly 
on  Goulard,  the  informer,  seeming  to  dart  flames  at 
him." 

"  Very  good,  citizen  mayor,"  said  Peyrade.  "  We 
see  it  all  plainly.  Some  one  "  (this  with  a  glance  of 
evident  distrust  at  Corentin)  "  warned  the  citizeness 
Cinq-Cygne  in  time." 

"  Corporal,  handcuff  that  bojY'  said  Corentin,  to  the 
gendarme,  "  and  take  him  awa}*  b}T  himself.  And  shut 
up  that  girl,  too,"  pointing  to  Catherine.  "  As  for  you, 
Peyrade,  search  for  papers,"  adding  in  his  ear,  "  Ran- 
sack everything,  spare  nothing.  —  Monsieur  l'abbe,"  he 
said,  confidentially,  "  I  have  an  important  communica- 
tion to  make  to  you  ;  "  and  he  took  him  into  the  garden. 

"  Listen  to  me  attentively,  monsieur,"  he  went  on  ; 
"  you  seem  to  have  the  mind  of  a  bishop,  and  (no  one 
can  hear  us)  vou  will  understand  me.  I  have  no  longer 
anjT  hope  except  through  }'Ou  of  saving  these  families, 
who,  with  the  greatest  folly,  are  letting  themselves  roll 
down  a  precipice  where  no  one  can  save  them.  The 
Messieurs  Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre  have  been  betrayed 
by  one  of  those  infamous  spies  whom  governments  in- 
troduce into  all  conspiracies  to  learn  their  objects, 
means,  and  members.  Don't  confound  me,  I  beg  of 
you,  with  the  wretch  who  is  with  me.  He  belongs  to  the 
police ;  but  I  am  honorably  attached  to  the  Consular 

9 


130  An  Historical  Mystery. 

cabinet,  I  am  therefore  behind  the  scenes.  The  ruin 
of  the  Simeuse  brothers  is  not  desired.  Though  Malin 
would  like  to  see  them  shot,  the  First  Consul,  if  they 
are  here  and  have  come  without  evil  intentions,  wishes 
them  to  be  warned  out  of  danger,  for  he  likes  good 
soldiers.  The  agent  who  accompanies  me  has  all  the 
powers,  I,  apparently,  am  nothing.  But  I  see  plainly 
what  is  hatching.  The  agent  is  pledged  to  Malin,  who 
has  doubtless  promised  him  his  influence,  an  office,  and 
perhaps  money  if  he  finds  the  Simeuse  brothers  and 
delivers  them  up.  The  First  Consul,  who  is  a  realty 
great  man,  never  favors  selfish  schemes —  I  don't 
want  to  know  if  those  young  men  are  here,"  he  added, 
quickly,  observing  the  abbe's  gesture,  "but  I  wish  to 
tell  3'ou  that  there  is  only  one  wa}*  to  save  them.  You 
know  the  law  of  the  6th  Floreal,  3-ear  X.,  which  amnes- 
tied all  the  emigres  who  were  still  in  foreign  countries 
on  condition  that  they  returned  before  the  1st  Vende- 
miaire  of  the  year  XI.,  that  is  to  say,  in  September  of 
last  year.  But  the  Messieurs  Simeuse  having,  like  the 
Messieurs  d'Hauteserre,  served  in  the  army  of  Conde, 
they  come  into  the  category  of  exceptions  to  this  law. 
Their  presence  in  France  is  therefore  criminal,  and  suf- 
fices, under  the  circumstances  in  which  we  are,  to  make 
them  suspected  of  collusion  in  a  horrible  plot.  The 
First  Consul  saw  the  error  of  this  exception  which  has 
made  enemies  for  his  government,  and  he  wishes  the 


An  Historical  Mystery.  131 

Messieurs  Simense  to  know  that  no  steps  will  be  1 
against  them,  if  the}'  will  send  him  a  petition  saying 
that  the}'  have  re-entered  France  intending  to  submit  to 
the  laws,  and  agreeing  to  take  oath  to  the  Constitution. 
You  can  understand  that  the  document  ought  to  be  in 
my  hands  before  the}'  are  arrested,  and  be  dated  some 
days  earlier.  I  would  then  be  the  bearer  of  it —  I  do 
not  ask  you  where  those  young  men  are,"  he  said  again, 
seeing  another  gesture  of  denial  from  the  priest.  "  We 
are,  unfortunately,  sure  of  finding  them  ;  the  forest  is 
guarded,  the  entrances  to  Paris  and  the  frontiers  are 
all  watched.  Prav  listen  to  me  ;  if  these  gentlemen  are 
between  the  forest  and  Paris  they  must  be  taken  ;  if 
they  are  in  Paris  the}'  will  be  found  ;  if  they  retreat  to 
the  frontier  they  will  still  be  arrested.  The  First  Con- 
sul  likes  the  ci-devants,  and  cannot  endure  the  republi- 
cans —  simple  enough  ;  if  he  wants  a  throne  he  must 
needs  strangle  Liberty.  Keep  the  matter  a  secret  be- 
tween us.  This  is  what  I  will  do  ;  I  will  stay  here  till 
to-morrow  and  be  blind /  but  beware  of  the  agent ;  that 
cursed  Provencal  is  the  devil's  own  valet ;  he  has  the 
ear  of  Fouche  just  as  I  have  that  of  the  First  Consul." 

14  If  the  Messieurs  Simense  are  here,"  said  the  abbe, 
"  I  would  give  ten  pints  of  my  blood  and  my  right  arm 
to  save  them  ;  but  if  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne  is  in 
the  secret  she  has  not  —  and  this  T  swear  on  my  eternal 
salvation  —  betrayed    it  in   anj     .._.}',   neither   has    she 


132  An  Historical  Mystery. 

done  ine  the  honor  to  consult  me.  I  am  now  very  glad 
of  her  discretion,  if  discretion  there  be.  We  played 
cards  last  night  as  usual,  at  boston,  in  almost  absolute 
silence,  until  half-past  ten  o'clock,  and  we  neither  saw 
nor  heard  an3*thing.  Not  a  child  can  pass  through  this 
solitary  valley  without  the  whole  community  knowing 
it,  and  for  the  last  two  weeks  no  one  has  come  from 
other  places.  Now  the  d'Hauteserre  and  the  Simeuse 
brothers  would  make  a  party  of  four.  Old  d'Hauteserre 
and  his  wife  have  submitted  to  the  present  government, 
and  they  have  made  all  imaginable  efforts  to  persuade 
their  sons  to  return  to  France ;  the}'  wrote  to  them 
again  3Testerday.  I  can  only  sa}%  upon  nry  soul  and 
conscience,  that  jour  visit  has  alone  shaken  my  firm 
belief  that  these  3'oung  men  are  living  in  Germany. 
Between  ourselves,  there  is  no  one  here,  except  the 
young  countess,  who  does  not  do  justice  to  the  eminent 
qualities  of  the  First  Consul." 

"  Fox!"  thought  Corentin.  "  Well,  if  those  }*oung 
men  are  shot,"  he  said,  aloud;  "it  is  because  their 
friends  have  willed  it  —  I  wash  my  hands  of  the  affair." 

He  had  led  the  abbe  to  a  part  of  the  garden  which 
lay  in  the  moonlight,  and  as  he  said  the  last  words  he 
looked  at  him  suddenly.  The  priest  was  greatly  dis- 
tressed, but  his  manner  was  that  of  a  man  surprised  and 
wholly  ignorant. 

"  Understand  this,  monsieur  l'abbe,"  resumed  Coren- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  133 

tin;  "the  right  of  these  young  men  to  the  estate  of 
Gondreville  will  render  them  doubly  criminal  in  the 
eyes  of  the  middle  class.  I  'd  like  to  see  them  put 
faith  in  God  and  not  in  his  saints  —  " 

"  Is  there  really  a  plot?  "  asked  the  abbe,  simply. 

"  Base,  odious,  cowardly,  and  so  contrary  to  the  gen- 
erous spirit  of  the  nation,"  replied  Corentin,  "  that  it 
will  meet  with  universal  opprobrium." 

"  Well !  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne  is  incapable  of 
baseness,"  cried  the  abbe. 

"Monsieur  l'abbe,"  replied  Corentin,  "let  me  tell 
you  this  ;  there  is  for  us  (meaning  you  and  me)  proof 
positive  of  her  guilt ;  but  there  is  not  enough  for  the 
law.  You  see  she  took  flight  when  we  came  ;  I  sent 
the  mayor  to  warn  her." 

"  Yes,  but  for  one  who  is  so  anxious  to  save  them, 
you  followed  rather  closety  on  his  heels,"  said  the 
abbe. 

At  those  words  the  two  men  looked  at  each  other, 
and  all  was  said.  Each  belonged  to  those  profound 
anatomists  of  thought  to  whom  a  mere  inflexion  of  the 
voice,  a  look,  a  word  suffices  to  reveal  a  soul,  just  as 
the  Indians  track  their  enemies  by  signs  invisible  to 
European  eyes. 

"  I  expected  to  draw  something  out  of  him,  and  I 
have  011I3'  betrayed  uij*self,"  thought  Corentin. 

"  Ha !  the  sly  rogue  !  "  thought  the  priest. 


134  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Midnight  rang  from  the  old  church  clock  just  as 
Corentin  and  the  abbe  re-entered  the  salon.  The  open- 
ing and  shutting  of  doors  and  closets  could  be  heard 
from  the  bedrooms  above.  The  gendarmes  pulled  open 
the  beds ;  Peyrade,,  with  the  quick  perception  of  a  sp}-, 
handled  and  sounded  everything.  Such  desecration 
excited  both  fear  and  indignation  among  the  faithful 
servants  of  the  house,  who  still  stood  motionless  about 
the  salon.  Monsieur  d'llauteserre  exchanged  looks  of 
commiseration  with  his  wife  and  Mademoiselle  Goujet. 
A  species  of  horrible  curiosity  kept  every  one  on  the 
qui  vive.  Peyrade  at  length  came  down,  holding  in  his 
hand  a  sandal-wood  box  which  had  probabry  been 
brought  from  China  by  Admiral  de  Simeuse.  This 
pretty  casket  was  flat  and  about  the  size  of  a  quarto 
volume. 

Peyrade  made  a  sign  to  Corentin  and  took  him  into 
the  embrasure  of  a  window. 

"I've  an  idea!"  he  said,  "that  Michu,  who  was 
ready  to  pa}r  Marion  eight  hundred  thousand  francs  in 
gold  for  Gondreville,  and  who  evidently  meant  to  shoot 
Malin  yesterday,  is  the  man  who  is  helping  the  Simeuse 
brothers.  His  motive  in  threatening  Marion  and  aim- 
ing at  Malin  must  be  the  same.  I  thought  when  I  saw 
him  that  he  was  capable  of  ideas  ;  evidently  he  has  but 
one  ;  he  discovered  what  was  going  on  and  he  must 
have  come  here  to  warn  theni." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  135 

"Probably  Malin  talked  about  the  conspirac}'  to  his 
friend  the  notary,  and  Miehu  from  his  ambush  over- 
heard what  was  said,"  remarked  Corentiu,  continuing 
the  inductions  of  his  colleague.  "  No  doubt  he  has  only 
postponed  his  shot  to  prevent  an  evil  he  thinks  worse 
than  the  loss  of  Gondreville." 

"  He  knew  what  we  were  the  moment  he  laid  e3"es  on 
us,"  said  Peyrade.  "  I  thought  then  that  he  was  amaz- 
ingly intelligent  for  a  peasant." 

"  That  proves  that  he  is  always  on  his  guard,"  replied 
Corentin.  "  But,  mind  you,  my  old  man,  don't  let  us 
make  a  mistake.  Treachery  stinks  in  the  nostrils,  and 
primitive  folks  do  scent  it  from  afar." 

"  But  that's  our  strength,"  said  the  Provencal. 

"  Call  the  corporal  of  Arcis,"  cried  Corentin  to  one 
of  the  gendarmes.  "  I  shall  send  him  at  once  to 
Michu's  house,"  he  added  to  Peyrade. 

"  Our  ear,  Violette,  is  there,"  said  PejTade. 

"  We  started  without  getting  news  from  him.  Two 
of  us  are  not  enough ;  we  ought  to  have  had  Sabatier 
with  us —  Corporal,"  he  said,  when  the  gendarme 
appeared,  taking  him  aside  with  Peyrade,  "  don't  let 
them  fool  3'ou  as  the}T  did  the  Troyes  corporal  just  now. 
"We  think  Michu  is  in  this  business.  Go  to  his  house, 
put  your  eye  on  everything,  and  bring  word  of  the 
result." 

"  One  of  my  men  heard  horses  in  the  forest  just  as 


136  An  Historical  Mystery. 

they  arrested  the  little  groom ;  I  've  four  fine  fellows 
now  on  the  track  of  whoever  is  hiding  there,"  replied 
the  gendarme. 

He  left  the  room,  and  the  gallop  of  his  horse  which 
echoed  on  the  paved  courtyard  died  rapidly  away. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,"  said  Corentin  to  himself, 
"  either  they  have  gone  to  Paris  or  the}'  are  retreating 
to  German}*." 

He  sat  down,  pulled  a  note-book  from  the  pocket  of 
his  spencer,  wrote  two  orders  in  pencil,  sealed  them, 
and  made  a  sign  to  one  of  the  gendarmes  to  come  to 
him. 

44  Be  off  at  full  gallop  to  Troyes,  wake  up  the  prefect, 
and  tell  him  to  start  the  telegraph  as  soon  as  there  's 
light  enough." 

The  gendarme  departed.  The  meaning  of  this  move- 
ment and  Corentin's  intentions  were  so  evident  that  the 
hearts  of  the  household  sank  within  them  ;  but  this  new 
anxiety  was  additional  to  another  that  was  now  martyr- 
izing them  ;  their  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  sandal-wood 
box !  All  the  while  the  two  agents  were  talking  to- 
gether they  were  each  taking  note  of  those  eager  looks. 
A  sort  of  cold  anger  stirred  the  unfeeling  hearts  of 
these  men  who  relished  the  power  of  inspiring  terror. 
The  police  man  has  the  instincts  and  emotions  of  a 
hunter :  but  where  the  one  employs  his  powers  of  mind 
and  body  in  killing  a  hare,  a  partridge,  or  a  deer,  the 


An  Historical  Mystery.  137 

other  is  thinking  of  saving  the  State,  or  a  king,  and  of 
winning  a  large  reward.     So  the  hunt  for  men  is  supe- 
rior to  the  other  class  of  hunting  by  all  the    distance 
that   there    is    between    animals   and    human    beings. 
Moreover,  a  spy  is  forced  to  lift  the  part  he  plays  to 
the  level  and  the  importance  of  the  interests  to  which 
he  is  bound.     Without  looking  further  into  this  calling, 
it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  man  who  follows  it  puts  as 
much   passionate  ardor  into  his  chase  as  another  man 
does  into  the  pursuit  of  game.     Therefore  the  further 
these  men  advanced  in  their  investigations   the  more 
eager  they  became ;  but  the  expression  of  their  faces 
and  their  eyes  continued  calm  and  cold,  just  as  their 
ideas,  their  suspicions,  and  their  plans  remained  impene- 
trable.    To  any  one   who   watched   the  effects  of  the 
moral  scent,  if  we  may  so  call  it,  of  these  bloodhounds 
on  the  track  of  hidden  facts,  and  who  noted  and  under- 
stood the  movements  of  canine  agility  which  led  them 
to  strike  the  truth  in  their  rapid  examination  of  proba- 
bilities, there  was  in  it  all  something  actually  horrifying. 
How  and  why  should  men  of  genius  fall  so  low  when 
it  was  in  their  power  to  be  so  high?    What  imperfection, 
what  vice,  what  passion  debases  them?     Does  a  man 
become  a  police-agent  as  he  becomes  a  thinker,  writer, 
statesman,  painter,  general,  on  the  condition  of  knowing 
nothing  but  how  to  spy,  as  the  others  speak,  write,  gov- 
ern, paint,  and  fight?     The  inhabitants  of  the  chateau 


I 


138  An  Historical  Mystery. 

had  but  one  wish,  —  that  the  thunderbolts  of  heaven 
might  fall  upon  these  miscreants ;  the}*  were  athirst 
for  vengeance  ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  presence, 
up  to  this  time,  of  the  gendarmes  there  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  an  outbreak. 

"  No  one,  I  suppose,  has  the  key  of  this  box?"  said 
the  cynical  Pe3*rade,  questioning  the  family  as  much  by 
the  movement  of  his  huge  red  nose  as  by  his  words. 

The  Provreneal  noticed,  not  without  fear,  that  the 
guards  were  no  longer  present ;  he  and  Corentin  were 
alone  with  the  family.  The  j'ounger  man  drew  a  small 
dagger  from  his  pocket,  and  began  to  force  the  lock  of 
the  box.  Just  then  the  desperate  galloping  of  a  horse 
was  heard  upon  the  road  and  then  upon  the  pavement 
by  the  lawn ;  but  most  horrible  of  all  was  the  fall  and 
sighing  of  the  animal,  which  seemed  to  drop  all  at  once 
at  the  door  of  the  middle  tower.  A  convulsion  like 
that  which  a  thunderbolt  might  produce  shook  the  spec- 
tators when  Laurence,  the  trailing  of  whose  riding- 
habit  announced  her  coming,  entered  the  room.  The 
servants  hastily  formed  into  two  lines  to  let  her  pass. 

In  spite  of  her  rapid  ride,  the  girl  had  felt  the  full 
anguish  the  discovery  of  the  conspirac}'  must  needs 
cause  her.  All  her  hopes  were  overthrown  !  she  had 
galloped  through  ruins  as  her  thoughts  turned  to  the 
necessity  of  submission  to  the  Consular  government. 
Were  it  not  for  the  danger  which  threatened  the  four 


An  Historical  Mystery.  139 

gentlemen,  and  which  served  as  a  tonic  to  conquer  her 
weariness  and  her  despair,  she  would  have  dropped 
asleep  on  the  way.  The  mare  was  almost  killed  in  her 
haste  to  reach  the  chateau,  and  stand  between  her 
cousins  and  death.  As  all  present  looked  at  the  heroic 
girl,  pale,  her  features  drawn,  her  veil  aside,  her  whip 
in  her  hand,  standing  on  the  threshold  of  the  door, 
whence  her  burning  glance  grasped  the  whole  scene 
and  comprehended  it,  each  knew  from  the  almost  im- 
perceptible motion  which  crossed  the  soured  and  bitter 
face  of  Corentin,  that  the  real  adversaries  had  met.  A 
terrible  duel  was  about  to  begin. 

Noticing  the  box,  now  in  the  hands  of  Corentin,  the 
countess  raised  her  whip  and  sprang  rapidly  towards 
him.  Striking  his  hands  with  so  violent  a  blow  that  the 
casket  fell  to  the  ground,  she  seized  it,  flung  it  into 
the  middle  of  the  fire,  and  stood  with  her  back  to  the 
chimney  in  a  threatening  attitude  before  either  of  the 
agents  recovered  from  their  surprise.  The  scorn  which 
flamed  from  her  eyes,  her  pale  brow,  her  disdainful 
lips,  were  even  more  insulting  than  the  haughty  action 
which  treated  Corentin  as  though  he  were  a  veno- 
mous reptile.  Old  d'Hauteserre  felt  himself  once  more 
a  cavalier ;  all  his  blood  rushed  to  his  face,  and  he 
grieved  that  he  had  no  sword.  The  servants  trem- 
bled for  an  instant  with  joy.  The  vengeance  thev  had 
called  down  upon  these  men  had  come.     But  their  joy 


140  An  Historical  Mystery, 

was  driven  back  within  their  souls  by  a  terrible  fear ; 
the  gendarmes  were  still  heard  coming  and  going  in  the 
garrets. 

The  spy — noun  of  strength,  under  which  all  shades 
of  the  police  are  confounded,  for  the  public  has  never 
chosen  to  specify  in  language  the  varieties  of  those  who 
compose  this  dispensary  of  social  remedies  so  essential 
to  all  governments  —  the  spy  has  this  curious  and 
magnificent  quality :  he  never  becomes  angry  ;  he  pos- 
sesses the  Christian  humility  of  a  priest ;  his  e3'es  are 
stolid  with  an  indifference  which  he  holds  as  a  barrier 
against  the  world  of  fools  who  do  not  understand  him  ; 
his  forehead  is  adamant  under  insult ;  he  pursues  his 
ends  like  a  reptile  whose  carapace  is  fractured  only  by 
a  cannonball ;  but  (like  that  reptile)  he  is  all  the  more 
furious  when  the  blow  does  reach  him,  because  he 
believed  his  armor  invulnerable.  The  lash  of  the  whip 
upon  his  fingers  was  to  Corentin,  pain  apart,  the  can- 
nonball that  cracked  the  shell.  Coming  from  that 
magnificent  and  noble  girl,  this  action,  emblematic  of 
her  disgust,  humiliated  him,  not  only  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people  about  him,  but  in  his  own. 

Peyrade  sprang  to  the  hearth,  caught  Laurence's 
foot,  raised  it,  and  compelled  her,  out  of  modesty,  to 
throw  herself  on  the  sofa,  where  she  had  lately  lain 
asleep.  The  scene,  like  other  contrasts  in  human 
things,  was  burlesque  in  the  midst  of  terror.     Peyrade 


An  Historical  Mystery.  141 

scorched  his  hand  as  he  dashed  it  into  the  fire  to  seize 
the  box ;  but  he  got  it,  threw  it  on  the  floor  and  sat 
down  upon  it.  These  little  actions  were  done  with 
great  rapid it}T  and  without  a  word  being  uttered.  Cor- 
entin,  recovering  from  the  pain  of  the  blow,  caught 
Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne  by  both  hands,  and  held 
her. 

u  Do  not  compel  me  to  use  force  against  you,"  he 
said,   with  withering  politeness. 

Peyrade's  action  had  extinguished  the  fire  by  the 
natural  process  of  suppressing  the  air. 

"Gendarmes!  here!"  he  cried,  still  occupying  his 
ridiculous  position. 

"  Will  you  promise  to  behave  yourself?  "  said  Cor- 
entin,  insolently,  addressing  Laurence,  and  picking  up 
his  dagger,  but  not  committing  the  great  fault  of  threat- 
ening her  with  it. 

"  The  secrets  of  that  box  do  not  concern  the  govern- 
ment," she  answered,  with  a  tinge  of  melancholy  in  her 
tone  and  manner.  "  When  you  have  read  the  letters  it 
contains  you  will,  in  spite  of  your  infamy,  feel  ashamed 
of  having  read  them  —  that  is,  if  you  can  still  feel 
shame  at  anything,"  she  added,  after  a  pause. 

The  abbe  looked  at  her  as  if  to  say,  "  For  God's  sake, 
be  calm ! " 

Peyrade  rose.  The  bottom  of  the  box,  which  had 
been  nearly  burned  through,  left  a  mark  upon  the  floor ; 


142  An  Historical  Mystery. 

the  lid  was  scorched  and  the  sides  gave  way.  The 
grotesque  Scaevola,  who  had  offered  to  the  god  of  the 
Police  and  Terror  the  seat  of  his  apricot  breeches, 
opened  the  two  sides  of  the  box  as  if  it  had  been  a  book, 
and  slid  three  letters  and  two  locks  of  hair  upon  the 
card-table.  He  was  about  to  smile  at  Corentin  when 
he  perceived  that  the  locks  were  of  two  shades  of  gray. 
Corentin  released  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne's  hands 
and  went  up  to  the  table  to  read  the  letter  from  which 
the  hair  had  fallen. 

Laurence  rose,  moved  to  the  table  beside  the  spies, 
and  said:  —  "Read  it  aloud;  that  shall  be  3-our 
punishment." 

As  the  two  men  continued  to  read  to  themselves,  she 
herself  read  out  the  following  words  :  — 

Dear  Laurence  :  —  My  husband  and  I  have  heard  of 
your  noble  conduct,  on  the  day  of  our  arrest.  We  know  that 
you  love  our  dear  twins  as  much,  almost,  as  we  love  them 
ourselves.  Therefore  it  is  with  you  that  we  leave  a  token 
which  will  be  both  precious  and  sad  to  them.  The  execu- 
tioner has  come  to  cut  our  hair,  for  we  are  to  die  in  a  few 
moments;  he  has  promised  to  put  into  your  hands  the  only 
remembrance  we  are  able  to  leave  to  our  beloved  orphans. 
Keep  these  last  remains  of  us  and  give  them  to  our  sons  in 
happier  days.  We  have  kissed  these  locks  of  hair  and  have 
laid  our  blessing  upon  them.  Our  last  thought  will  be  of 
our  sons,  of  you,  and  of  God.     Love  them,  Laurence. 

Bkrthe  de  Cinq-Cygne. 

Jean  de  Simeuse. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  143 

Tears  came  to  the  e3res  of  all  the  household  as  they 
listened  to  the  letter. 

Laurence  looked  at  the  agents  with  a  petrifying  glance 
and  said,  in  a  firm  voice  :  — 

"  You  have  less  pit}*  than  the  executioner." 

Corentin  quietly  folded  the  hair  in  the  letter,  laid 
the  letter  aside  on  the  table,  and  put  a  box  of  counters 
on  the  top  of  it  as  if  to  prevent  its  blowing  awa}\ 
His  coolness  in  the  midst  of  the  general  emotion  was 
horrible. 

Peyrade  unfolded  the  other  letters. 

"Oh,  as  for  those,"  said  Laurence,  "they  are  very 
much  alike.  You  heard  the  will ;  vou  can  now  hear  of 
its  fulfilment.  In  future  I  shall  have  no  secrets  from 
any  one." 

1704,  Anderxach.     Before  the  battle. 

My  dear  Laurence,  —  I  love  you  for  life  and  I  wish  vou 

to  know  it.     But  you  ought  also  to  know,  in  case  T  die,  that 

my  brother,  Paul-Marie,  loves  you  as  much  as  I  love  you. 

My  only  consolation  in  dying  would  be  the  thought  that  you 

might  some  day  make  my   brother   your  husband  without 

being  forced  to  see  me  die  of  jealousy —  which  must  surely 

happen  if,  both  of  us  being  alive,  you  preferred  him  to  me. 

After  all,  that  preference  seems  natural,  for  he  is,  perhaps, 

more  worthy  of  your  love  than  I  — 

Marie-Paul. 

"  Here  is  the  other  letter,"  she  said,  with  the  color 
in  her  cheeks. 


144  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Andernach.     Before  the  battle. 
My  kind  Laurence,  —  My  heart  is  sad ;  but  Marie-Paul 
has  a  gayer  nature,  and  will  please  you  more  than  T  am  able 
to  do      Some  day  you  will  have  to  choose  between  us  —  well, 
though  I  love  you  passionately  — 

"  You  are  corresponding  with  emigres,"  said  Peyrade, 
interrupting  Laurence,  and  holding  the  letters  between 
himself  and  the  light  to  see  if  they  contained  between 
the  lines  any  treasonable  writing  with  invisible  ink. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Laurence,  folding  the  precious  letters, 
the  paper  of  which  was  already  yellow  with  time.  "But 
by  virtue  of  what  right  do  you  presume  to  violate  my 
dwelling  and  my  personal  liberty  ?  " 

"  Ah,  that's  the  point !  "  cried  PejTade.  "  By  what 
right,  indeed  !  —  it  is  time  to  let  }tou  know  it,  beautiful 
aristocrat,"  he  added,  taking  a  warrant  from  his  pocket, 
which  came  from  the  minister  of  justice  and  was  coun- 
tersigned by  the  minister  of  the  interior.  "  See,  the 
authorities  have  their  eye  upon  }"ou." 

"  We  might  also  ask  }'ou,"  said  Corentin,  in  her  ear, 
"  by  what  right  }Tou  harbor  in  this  house  the  assassins 
of  the  First  Consul.  You  have  applied  your  whip  to 
m}'  hands  in  a  manner  that  authorizes  me  to  take  nry 
revenge  upon  3Tour  cousins,  whom  I  came  here  to  save." 

At  the  mere  movement  of  her  lips  and  the  glance 
which  Laurence  cast  upon  Corentin,  the  abbe  guessed 
what  that  great  artist  was  sa}ing,  and  he  made  her  a 


An  Historical  Mystery.  145 

sign  to  be  distrustful,  which  no  one  intercepted  but 
Goulard.  Peyrade  struck  the  cover  of  the  box  to  see  if 
there  were  a  double  top. 

44  Don't  break  it !  "  she  exclaimed,  taking  the  cover 
from  him. 

She  took  a  pin,  pushed  the  head  of  one  of  the  carved 
figures,  and  the  two  halves  of  the  top,  joined  by  a 
spring,  opened.  In  the  hollow  half  lay  miniatures  of 
the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse,  in  the  uniform  of  the  army  of 
Conde,  two  portraits  on  ivory  done  in  German}'.  Cor- 
entin,  who  felt  himself  in  presence  of  an  adversary 
worthy  of  his  efforts,  called  Peyrade  aside  into  a  corner 
of  the  room  and  conferred  with  him. 

"  How  could  you  throw  that  into  the  fire?  "  said  the 
abbe,  speaking  to  Laurence  and  pointing  to  the  letter  of 
the  marquise  which  inclosed  the  locks  of  hair. 

For  all  answer  the  young  girl  shrugged  her  shoulders 
significantl}'.  The  abbe  comprehended  then  that  she 
had  made  the  sacrifice  to  mislead  the  agents  and  gain 
time ;  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven  with  a  gesture  of 
admiration. 

14  Where  did  they  arrest  Gothard,  whom  I  hear  cry- 
ing? "  she  asked  him,  loud  enough  to  be  overheard. 

44 1  don't  know,"  said  the  abbe. 

44  Did  he  reach  the  farm?  " 

44  The  farm  !  "  whispered  Peyrade  to  Corentin.  "  Let 
us  send  there." 

10 


146  An  Historical  MyUery. 

"No,"  said  Corentin  ;  "  that  girl  never  trusted  her 
cousins'  safety  to  a  farmer.  She  is  playing  with  us. 
Do  as  I  tell  you,  so  that  we  may  n't  have  to  leave  with- 
out detecting  something,  after  committing  the  great 
blunder  of  coming  here  at  all." 

Corentin  stationed  himself  before  the  fire,  lifting:  the 
long  pointed  skirts  of  his  coat  to  warm  himself  and 
assuming  the  air,  manner,  and  tone  of  a  gentleman  who 
was  paying  a  visit. 

"  Mesdames,  }*ou  can  go  to  bed,  and  the  servants 
also.  Monsieur  le  maire,  your  services  are  no  longer 
needed.  The  sternness  of  our  orders  does  not  permit 
us  to  act  otherwise  than  as  we  have  done  ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  walls,  which  seem  to  me  rather  thick,  have  been 
thoroughly  examined,  we  shall  take  our  departure." 

The  maj'or  bowed  to  the  company  and  retired  ;  but 
neither  the  abbe  nor  Mademoiselle  Goujet  stirred.  The 
servants  were  too  uneas}T  not  to  watch  the  fate  of  their 
young  mistress.  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  who,  from  the 
moment  of  Laurence's  entrance,  had  studied  her  with 
the  anxiety  of  a  mother,  rose,  took  her  by  the  arm,  led 
her  aside  and  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  Have  vou  seen 
them  ?  " 

"  Do  3'ou  think  I  could  have  let  your  sons  be  under 
this  roof  without  your  knowing  it?"  replied  Laurence. 
."  Durieu,"  she  added,  "  see  if  it  is  possible  to  save  my 
poor  Stella  ;  she  is  still  breathing." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  147 

"  She  must  have  gone  a  great  distance,"  said 
Corentin. 

"  Forty  miles  in  three  hours,"  she  answered,  address- 
ins  the  abbe,  who  watched  her  with  amazement.  "  I 
started  at  half-past  nine,  and  it  was  well  past  one  when 
I  returned." 

She  looked  at  the  clock  which  said  half-past  two. 

"  So  you  don't  deny  that  you  have  ridden  forty 
miles?  "  said  Corentin. 

U  No,"  she  said.  "  I  admit  that  m}r  cousins,  in  their 
perfect  innocence,  expected  not  to  be  excluded  from  the 
amnest}*,  and  were  on  their  way  to  Cinq-Cygne.  When 
I  found  that  the  Sieur  Malin  was  plotting  to  injure 
them,  I  went  to  warn  them  to  return  to  Germany,  where 
they  will  be  before  the  telegraph  can  have  guarded  the 
frontier.  If  I  have  done  wrong  I  shall  be  punished  for 
it." 

This  answer,  which  Laurence  had  carefully  con- 
sidered, was  so  probable  in  all  its  parts  that  Corentin's 
convictions  were  shaken.  In  that  decisive  moment, 
when  ever}7  soul  present  hung  suspended,  as  it  were,  on 
the  faces  of  the  two  adversaries,  and  all  eyes  turned 
from  Corentin  to  Laurence  and  from  Laurence  to  Cor- 
entin, again  the  gallop  of  a  horse,  coming  from  the 
forest,  resounded  on  the  road  and  from  there  through 
the  gates  to  the  paved  courtyard.  Frightful  anxiet}T 
was  stamped  on  every  face. 


148  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Peyrade  entered,  bis  e}'es  gleaming  with  joy.  He 
went  hastily  to  Corentin  and  said,  loud  enough  for  the 
countess  to  hear  him  :  "  We  have  caught  Michu." 

Laurence,  to  whom  the  agony,  fatigue,  and  tension  of 
all  her  intellectual  faculties  had  given  an  unusual  color, 
turned  white  and  fell  back  almost  fainting  on  a  chair. 
Madame  Durieu,  Mademoiselle  Goujet,  and  Madame 
d'Hauteserre  sprang  to  help  her,  for  she  was  suffocating. 
She  signed  to  cut  the  frogging  of  her  habit. 

"Duped!"  said  Corentin  to  Peyrade.  "I  am  cer- 
tain now  the}-  are  on  their  way  to  Paris.  Change  the 
orders." 

The}'  left  the  room  and  the  house,  placing  one  gen- 
darme on  guard  at  the  door  of  the  salon.  The  infernal 
cleverness  of  the  two  men  had  gained  a  terrible  advan- 
tage b}r  taking  Laurence  in  the  trap  of  a  not  uncommon 
trick. 


An  Historical  Mystery,  149 


IX. 

FOILED. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  as  day  was  dawning, 
Corentin  and  Peyrade  returned.  Having  explored  the 
covered  way  they  were  satisfied  that  horses  had  passed 
through  it  to  reach  the  forest.  They  were  now  await- 
ing the  report  of  the  captain  of  gendarmerie  sent  to 
reconnoitre  the  neighborhood.  Leaving  the  chateau  in 
charge  of  a  corporal,  they  went  to  the  tavern  at  Cinq- 
Cygne  to  get  their  breakfast,  giving  orders  that  Go- 
thard,  who  never  ceased  to  reply  to  all  questions  with  a 
burst  of  tears,  should  be  set  at  liberty,  also  Catherine, 
who  still  continued  silent  and  immovable.  Catherine 
and  Gothard  went  to  the  salon  to  kiss  the  hands  of 
their  mistress,  who  la}7  exhausted  on  the  sofa ;  Durieu 
also  went  in  to  tell  her  that  Stella  would  recover,  but 
needed  great  care. 

The  mayor,  uneasy  and  inquisitive,  met  Peyrade  and 
Corentin  in  the  village.  He  declared  that  he  could  not 
allow  such  important  officials  to  breakfast  in  a  miser- 
able tavern,  and  he  took  them  to  his  own  house.  The 
abbe}'  was  only  three  quarters  of  a  mile  distant.  On 
the  way,  Peyrade  remarked  that  the  corporal  of  Arcis 
had  sent  no  news  of  Michu  or  of  Violette. 


150  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  We  are  dealing  with  veiy  able  people,"  said  Cor- 
entin  ;  "  they  are  stronger  than  we.  The  priest  no  doubt 
has  a  finger  in  all  this." 

Just  as  the  mayor's  wife  was  ushering  her  guests  into 
a  vast  dining-room  (without  any  fire)  the  lieutenant  of 
gendarmes  arrived  with  an  anxious  air. 

"We  met  the  horse  of  the  corporal  of  Arcis  in  the 
forest  without  his  master,"  he  said  to  Peyrade. 

"  Lieutenant/'  cried  Corentin,  "  go  instantly  to 
Michu's  house  and  find  out  what  is  going  on  there. 
The}'  must  have  murdered  the  corporal." 

This  news  interfered  with  the  mayor's  breakfast. 
Corentin  and  Peyrade  swallowed  their  food  with  the 
rapidity  of  hunters  halting  for  a  meal,  and  drove  back 
to  the  chateau  in  their  wicker  carriage,  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  start  at  the  first  call  for  any  point  where  their 
presence  might  be  necessary.  When  the  two  men  re- 
appeared in  the  salon  into  which  they  had  brought  such 
trouble,  terror,  grief,  and  anxiety,  the}*  found  Laurence, 
in  a  dressing-gown,  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  and  his  wife, 
the  abbe  and  his  sister,  sitting  round  the  fire,  to  all 
appearance  tranquil. 

"  If  they  had  caught  Michu,"  Laurence  told  herself, 
-'  they  would  have  brought  him  with  them.  I  have  the 
mortification  of  knowing  that  I  was  not  mistress  of  my- 
self, and  that  I  threw  some  light  upon  the  matter  for 
those  wretches  ;  but  the  harm  can  be  undone  —     How 


An  Historical  Mystery.  151 

long  are  we  to  be  jour  prisoners  ?  "  she  asked  sarcasti- 
call}',  with  an  easy  manner. 

"  How  can  she  know  an}Tthing  about  Michu?  No 
one  from  the  outside  has  got  near  the  chateau ;  she  is 
laughing  at  us,"  said  the  two  agents  to  each  other  by  a 
look. 

"  We  shall  not  inconvenience  you  long,"  replied  Cor- 
entin.  "  In  three  hours  from  now  we  shall  offer  our 
regrets  for  having  troubled  your  solitude." 

No  one  replied.  This  contemptuous  silence  redoubled 
Corentin's  inward  rage.  Laurence  and  the  abbe  (the 
two  minds  of  their  little  world)  had  talked  the  man  over 
and  drawn  their  conclusions.  Gothard  and  Catherine 
had  set  the  breakfast-table  near  the  fire  and  the  abbe 
and  his  sister  were  sharing  the  meal.  Neither  masters 
nor  servants  paid  the  slightest  attention  to  the  two 
spies,  who  walked  up  and  down  the  garden,  the  court- 
yard or  the  lawn,  returning  every  now  and  then  to  the 
salon. 

At  half-past  two  the  lieutenant  reappeared. 

"  I  found  the  corporal,"  he  said  to  Corentin,  li  lying 
in  the  road  which  leads  from  the  pavilion  of  Cinq-Cygne 
to  the  farm  at  Bellache.  He  has  no  wound,  only  a  bad 
contusion  of  the  head,  caused,  apparently,  by  his  fall. 
He  told  me  he  had  been  lifted  suddenlv  off  his  horse 
and  flung  so  violently  on  the  ground  that  he  could  not 
discover  hou-  the   thing  was  done.     His  feet  left  the 


152  An  Historical  Mystery. 

stirrups,  which  was  lucky,  for  he  might  have  been  killed 
by  the  horse  dragging  him.  We  put  him  in  charge  of 
Michu  and  Violette  —  " 

44  Michu  !  is  Michu  in  his  own  house?  "  said  Coren- 
tin, glancing  at  Laurence. 

The  countess  smiled  ironically,  like  a  woman  ob- 
taining her  revenge. 

"He  is  bargaining  with  Violette  about  the  sale  of 
some  land,"  said  the  lieutenant.  "  They  seemed  to  me 
drunk  ;  and  it 's  no  wonder,  for  they  have  been  drinking 
all  night  and  discussing  the  matter,  and  they  have  n't 
come  to  terms  yet." 

44  Did  Violette  tell  you  so?  "  cried  Corentin. 

44  Yes,"  said  the  lieutenant. 

44  Nothing:  is  right  if  we  don't  attend  to  it  ourselves  ! ' 
cried  Peyrade,  looking  at  Corentin,  who  doubted  the 
lieutenant's  news  as  much  as  the  other  did. 

44  At  what  hour  did  you  get  to  Michu's  house?" 
asked  Corentin,  noticing  that  the  countess  had  glanced 
at  the  clock. 

44  About  two,"  replied  the  lieutenant. 

Laurence  covered  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Haute- 
serre  and  the  abbe  and  his  sister  in  one  comprehensive 
glance,  which  made  them  fancy  they  were  wrapped  in 
an  azure  mantle ;  triumph  sparkled  in  her  eyes,  she 
blushed,  and  the  tears  welled  up  beneath  her  lids. 
Strong  under  all  misfortunes,  the  girl  knew  not  how  to 


An  Historical  Mystery.  153 

weep  except  from  joy.  At  this  moment  she  was  all 
glorious,  especially  to  the  priest,  who  was  sometimes 
distressed  by  the  virility  of  her  character,  and  who  now 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  infinite  tenderness  of  her 
woman's  nature.  But  such  feelings  lay  in  her  soul  like 
a  treasure  hidden  at  a  great  depth  beneath  a  block  of 
granite. 

Just  then  a  gendarme  entered  the  salon  to  ask  if  he 
might  bring  in  Michu's  son,  sent  by  his  father  to  speak 
to  the  gentlemen  from  Paris.  Corentin  gave  an  affirma- 
tive nod.  Francois  Michu,  a  sly  little  chip  of  the  old 
block,  was  in  the  courtyard,  where  Gothard,  now  at 
liberty,  got  a  chance  to  speak  to  him  for  an  instant 
under  the  eyes  of  a  gendarme.  The  little  fellow  man- 
aged to  slip  something  into  Gothard's  hand  without 
being  detected,  and  the  latter  glided  into  the  salon  after 
him  till  he  reached  his  mistress,  to  whom  he  stealthily 
conve}'ed  both  halves  of  the  wedding-ring,  a  sure  sign, 
she  knew,  that  Michu  had  met  the  four  gentlemen  and 
put  them  in  safet}'. 

"  My  papa  wants  to  know  what  he  's  to  do  with  the 
corporal,  who  ain't  doing  well,"  said  Francois. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  him?  "  asked  Peyrade. 

"  It 's  his  head  —  he  pitched  down  hard  on  the 
ground,"  replied  the  boy.  "  For  a  gindarme  who 
knows  how  to  ride  it  was  bad  luck  —  I  suppose  the 
horse   stumbled.     He  's   got   a  hole  —  my  !   as   big  as 


154  An  Historical  Mystery. 

3Tour  fist  —  in  the  back  of  his  head.  Seems  as  if  he 
must  have  hit  some  big  stone,  poor  man  !  He  may  be 
a  gindarme,  but  he  suffers  all  the  same  —  you'd  pity 
him." 

The  captain  of  the  gendarmerie  now  arrived  and 
dismounted  in  the  courtyard.  Corentin  threw  up  the 
window,   not  to  lose  time. 

4 '  What  has  been  done  ?  " 

"  We  are  back  like  the  Dutchmen  !  We  found  noth- 
ing but  five  dead  horses,  their  coats  stiff  with  sweat,  in 
the  middle  of  the  forest.  I  have  kept  them  to  find  out 
where  thev  came  from  and  who  owns  them.  The  forest 
is  surrounded  ;  whoever  is  in  it  can't  get  out." 

"At  what  hour  do  you  suppose  those  horsemen 
entered  the  forest?" 

"  About  half-past  twelve." 

"  Don't  let  a  hare  leave  that  forest  without  your  see- 
ing it,"  whispered  Corentin.  "I'll  station  Pe}Trade  at 
the  village  to  help  }tou  ;  I  am  going  to  see  the  corporal 
myself —  Go  to  the  mayor's  house,"  he  added,  still 
whispering,  to  Pe3Trade.  "I'll  send  some  able  man  to 
relieve  you.  We  shall  have  to  make  use  of  the  country- 
people  ;  examine  all  faces."  He  turned  towards  the 
family  and  said  in  a  threatening  tone,  "  Au  revoir  !  " 

No  one  replied,  and  the  two  agents  left  the  room. 

"  What  would  Fouche  say  if  he  knew  we  had  made  a 
domiciliary   visit    without   getting    any  results?"    re- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  155 

marked  Peyrade  as  lie  helped  Corentin  into  the  osier 
vehicle. 

"It  isn't  over  yet,"  replied  the  other,  "those  four 
young  men  are  in  the  forest.  Look  there  !  "  and  he 
pointed  to  Laurence  who  was  watching  them  from  a 
window.  "  I  once  revenged  myself  on  a  woman  who 
was  worth  a  dozen  of  that  one  and  had  stirred  my  bile 
a  good  deal  less.  If  this  girl  comes  in  the  wa}*  of  my 
hatchet  I  '11  pay  her  for  the  lash  of  that  whip." 

"The  other  was  a  strumpet,"  said  Peyrade;  "this 
one  has  rank." 

"What  difference  is  that  to  me?  All's  fish  that 
swims  in  the  sea,"  replied  Corentin,  signing  to  the 
gendarme  who  drove  him  to  whip  up. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  chateau  de  Cinq-C}'gne  was 
complete!}1-  evacuated. 

"  How  did  the}-  get  rid  of  the  corporal?"  said  Lau- 
rence to  Francois  Michn,  whom  she  had  ordered  to  sit 
down  and  eat  some  breakfast. 

"  My  father  told  me  it  was  a  matter  of  life  and  death 
and  I  must  n't  let  anybody  get  into  our  house,"  replied 
the  boy.  "  I  knew  when  I  heard  the  horses  in  the  for- 
est that  I  'd  got  to  do  with  them  hounds  of  gindarmes, 
and  I  meant  to  keep  'em  from  getting  in.  So  I  took 
some  big  ropes  that  were  in  our  garret  and  fastened 
one  of  'em  to  a  tree  at  the  corner  of  road.  Then  I 
drew  the  rope  high  enough  to  hit  the  breast  of  a  man 


156  An  Historical  Mystery. 

on  horseback,  and  tied  it  to  the  tree  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  way  in  the  direction  where  I  heard  the 
horses.  That  barred  the  road.  It  did  n't  miss  fire,  I 
can  tell  you !  There  was  no  moon,  and  the  corporal 
just  pitched  !  —  but  he  was  n't  killed  ;  the}T  're  tough, 
them  gindarmes  !     I  did  what  I  could." 

"  You  have  saved  us!"  said  Laurence,  kissing  him 
as  she  took  him  to  the  gate.  When  there,  she  looked 
about  her  and  seeing  no  one  she  said  cautiously,  "  Have 
they  provisions  ?  " 

"  I  have  just  taken  them  twelve  pounds  of  bread  and 
four  bottles  of  wine,"  said  the  boy.  ' '  They  '11  be  snug 
for  a  week." 

Returning  to  the  salon,  the  girl  was  beset  with  mute 
questions  in  the  eyes  of  all,  each  of  whom  looked  at  her 
with  as  much  admiration  as  eagerness. 

"But  have  you  really  seen  them?"  cried  Madame 
d'Hauteserre. 

The  countess  put  a  finger  on  her  lips  and  smiled ; 
then  she  left  the  room  and  went  to  bed ;  her  triumph 
sure,  utter  weariness  had  overtaken  her. 

The  shortest  road  from  Cinq-Cygne  to  Michu's  lodge 
was  that  which  led  from  the  village  past  the  farm  at 
Bellache  to  the  rond-point  where  the  Parisian  spies  had 
first  seen  Michu  on  the  preceding  evening.  The  gen- 
darme who  was  driving  Corentin  took  this  way,  which 
was  the  one  the  corporal  of  Arcis  had  taken.     As  they 


An  Historical  Mystery.  157 


drove  along,  the  agent  was  on  the  look-out  for  signs  to 
show  wh}T  the  corporal  had  been  unhorsed.  He  blamed 
himself  for  having  sent  but  one  man  on  so  important  an 
errand,  and  he  drew  from  this  mistake  an  axiom  for  the 
police  Code,  which  he  afterwards  applied. 

-'  If  they  have  got  rid  of  the  corporal,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "  the}*  have  done  as  much  by  Violette.  Those 
five  horses  have  evidently  brought  the  four  conspira- 
tors and  Michu  from  the  neighborhood  of  Paris  to  the 
forest.  Has  Michu  a  horse  ?  "  he  inquired  of  the  gen- 
darme who  was  driving  him  and  who  belonged  to  the 
squad  from  Arcis. 

"Yes,  and  a  famous  little  horse  it  is,"  answered  the 
man,  "  a  hunter  from  the  stables  of  the  ci-devant  Mar- 
quis de  Simeuse.  There  's  no  better  beast,  though  it  is 
nearly  fifteen  }*ears  old.  Michu  can  ride  him  fifty  miles 
and  he  won't  turn  a  hair.  He  takes  mighty  good  care 
of  him  and  would  n't  sell  him  at  any  price." 

"  What  does  the  horse  look  like?  " 

--  He  's  brown,  turning  rather  to  black  ;  white  stock- 
ings above  the  hoofs,  thin,  all  nerves  like  an  Arab." 

"  Did  3'ou  ever  see  an  Arab?  " 

"  In  Egypt — last  year.  I've  ridden  the  horses  of 
the  mamelukes.  We  have  to  serve  twelve  years  in  the 
cavalry,  and  I  was  on  the  Rhine  under  General  Steingel, 
after  that  in  Italv,  and  then  I  followed  the  First  Consul 
to  Egypt.     I'll  be  a  corporal  soon." 


158  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  When  I  get  to  Micbu's  house  go  to  the  stable  ;  if 
you  have  served  twelve  }ears  in  the  cavahy  you  know 
when  a  horse  is  blown.  Let  me  know  the  condition  of 
Michu's  beast." 

"  See!  that's  where  our  corporal  was  thrown/'  said 
the  man,  pointing  to  a  spot  where  the  road  they  were 
following  entered  the  rond-point. 

"  Tell  the  captain  to  come  and  pick  me  up  at  Michu's, 
and  I'll  go  with  him  to  TWves." 

So  sa}Ting  Corentin  got  down,  and  stood  about  for 
a  few  minutes  examining  the  ground.  He  looked  at 
the  two  elms  which  faced  each  other,  —  one  against  the 
park  wall,  the  other  on  the  bank  of  the  rond-point  / 
then  he  saw  (what  no  one  had  yet  noticed)  the  but* 
ton  of  a  uniform  lying  in  the  dust,  and  he  picked  it  up. 
Entering  the  lodge  he  saw  Violette  and  Michu  sit- 
ing at  the  table  in  the  kitchen  and  talking  eagerl}*. 
Violette  rose,  bowed  to  Corentin,  and  offered  him  some 
wine. 

"  Thank  you,  no  ;  I  came  to  see  the  corporal,"  said 
the  3'oung  man,  who  saw  with  half  a  glance  that  Vio- 
lette had  been  drunk  all  night. 

"  M}r  wife  is  nursing  him  upstairs,"  said  Michu. 

"  Well,  corporal,  how  are  j'ou?  "  said  Corentin  who 
had  run  up  the  stairs  and  found  the  gendarme  with  his 
head  bandaged,  and  lying  on  Madame  Michu's  bed ; 
his  hat,  sabre,  and  shoulder-belt  on  a  chair. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  159 

Marthe,  faithful  to  her  womanly  instincts,  and  know- 
ing nothing  of  her  son's  prowess,  was  giving  all  her 
care  to  the  corporal,  assisted  by  her  mother. 

"  We  expect  Monsieur  Varlet  the  doctor  from  Arcis," 
she  said  to  Corentin  ;  "  our  servant-lad  has  gone  to 
fetch  him." 

44  Leave  us  alone  for  a  moment,"  said  Corentin,  a 
good  deal  surprised  at  the  scene,  which  amply  proved 
the  innocence  of  the  two  women.  "  Where  were  you 
struck?"  he  asked  the  man,  examining  his  uniform. 

"  On  the  breast,"  replied  the  corporal. 

"•Let's  see  your  belt,"  said  Corentin. 

On  the  3'ellow  band  with  a  white  edge,  which  a  re- 
cent regulation  had  made  part  of  the  equipment  of  the 
guard  now  called  National,  was  a  metal  plate  a  good 
deal  like  that  of  the  foresters,  on  which  the  law 
required  the  inscription  of  these  remarkable  words : 
44  Respect  to  persons  and  to  properties."  Francois's 
rope  had  struck  the  belt  and  defaced  it.  Corentin  took 
up  the  coat  and  found  the  place  where  the  button  he 
had  picked  up  upon  the  road  belonged. 

"  What  time  did  they  find  you?  "  asked  Corentin. 

"  About  davbfeak." 

44  Did  thev  bring  you  up  here  at  once?"  said  Coren- 
tin,  noticing  that  the  bed  had  not  been  slept  in. 

44  Yes." 

44  Who  brought  3rou  up?" 


160  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  The   women    and    little   Michu,    who   found     me 


unconscious." 


"So!"  thought  Corentin  :  "evidently  they  didn't 
go  to  bed.  The  corporal  was  not  shot  at,  nor  struck 
by  an}T  weapon,  for  an  assailant  must  have  been  at  his 
own  height  to  strike  a  blow.  Something,  some  obsta- 
cle, was  in  his  way  and  that  unhorsed  him.  A  piece 
of  wood  ?  not  possible !  an  iron  chain  ?  that  would 
\ave  left  marks.     What  did  3'ou.feel?"  he  said  aloud. 

"  I  was  knocked  over  so  suddenly  —  " 

"The  skin  is  rubbed  off  under  your  chin,"  said 
Corentin  quickly. 

"I  think,"  said  the  corporal,  "that  a  rope  did  go 
>ver  my  face." 

"I  have  it!"  cried  Corentin;  "somebody  tied  a 
rope  from  tree  to  tree  to  bar  the  wa}." 

"  Like  enough,"  replied  the  corporal. 

Corentin  went  downstairs  to  the  kitchen. 

"  Come,  you  old  rascal,"  Michu  was  sa}'ing  to  Vio- 
lette,  "let's  make  an  end  of  this.  "One  hundred 
thousand  francs  for  the  place,  and  you  are  master  of 
my  whole  propert}'.     I  shall  retire  on  my  income." 

"I  tell  vou,  as  there's  a  God  in  heaven,  I  haven't 
more  than  sixt}r  thousand." 

"But  don't  I  offer  you  time  to  pay  the  rest? 
Ton  've  kept  me  here  since  3-esterday,  arguing  it.  The 
/and  is  in  prime  order." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  161 

44  Yes,  the  soil  is  good,"  said  Violette. 

44  Wife,  some  more  wine,"  cried  Michu. 

"  Have  n't  you  drunk  enough?"  called  down  Marthe's 
mother.  "  This  is  the  fourteenth  bottle  since  nine 
o'clock  j'esterda}'." 

"  You  have  been  here  since  nine  o'clock  this  morning, 
have  n't  you  ?  "  said  Corentin  to  Violette. 

"  No,  beg  your  pardon,  since  last  night  I  have  n't 
left  the  place,  and  1  've  gained  nothing  after  all ;  the 
more  he  makes  me  drink  the  more  he  puts  up  the 
price." 

"In  all  markets  he  who  raises  his  elbow  raises  a 
price,"  said  Corentin. 

A  dozen  empty  bottles  ranged  along  the  table  proved 
the  truth  of  the  old  woman's  words.  Just  then  the 
gendarme  who  had  driven  him  made  a  sign  to  Coren- 
tin, who  went  to  the  door  to  speak  to  him. 

"  There  is  no  horse  in  the  stable,"  said  the  man. 

"  You  sent  your  bo}T  on  horseback  to  the  chateau, 
did  n't  }Tou  ?  "  said  Corentin,  returning  to  the  kitchen. 
"  Will  he  be  back  soon?" 

44  No,  monsieur,"  said  Marthe,  44  he  went  on  foot." 

44  What  have  j'ou  done  with  your  horse,  then?  " 

44 1  have  lent  him,"  said  Michu,  curtly. 

44  Come  out  here,  my  good  fellow,"  said  Corentin ; 
44  I've  a  word  for  your  ear." 

Corentin  and  Michu  left  the  house. 

11 


162  An  Historical  Mystery, 

"  The  gun  which  you  were  loading  yesterda}'  at  four 
o'clock  you  meant  to  use  in  murdering  the  Councillor 
of  State  ;  but  we  can't  take  }rou  up  for  that  —  plenty  of 
intention,  but  no  witnesses.  You  managed,  I  don't 
know  how,  to  stupefy  Violette,  and  you  and  }>our  wife 
and  that  young  rascal  of  yours  spent  the  night  out  of 
doors  to  warn  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C3*gne  and  save 
her  cousins,  whom  you  are  hiding  here,  —  though  I 
don't  as  yet  know  where.  Your  son  or  jTour  wife  threw 
the  corporal  off  his  horse  cleverly  enough.  Well, 
you  've  got  the  better  of  us  just  now ;  }Tou  're  a  devil 
of  a  fellow.  But  the  end  is  not  }Tet,  and  you  won't 
have  the  last  word.  Had  n't  you  better  compromise? 
your  masters  would  be  the  better  for  it." 

"'  Come  this  way,  where  we  can  talk  without  being 
overheard,"  said  Michu,  leading  the  way  through  the 
park  to  the  pond. 

When  Corentin  saw  the  water  he  looked  fixedlj'  at 
Michu,  who  was  no  doubt  reckoning  on  his  physical 
strength  to  fling  the  sp}T  into  seven  feet  of  mud  below 
three  feet  of  water.  Michu  replied  with  a  look  that 
was  not  less  fixed.  The  scene  was  absoluteljT  as  if  a 
cold  and  flabb}r  boa  constrictor  had  defied  one  of  those 
tawn}T,  fierce  leopards  of  Brazil. 

"  I  am  not  thirst}',"  said  Corentin,  stopping  short  at 
the  edge  of  the  field  and  putting  his  hand  into  his 
pocket  to  feel  for  his  dagger. 


An  Historical  Mystery,  163 

"  We  shall  never  come  to  terms,"  said  Michu,  colcll}-. 

"  Mind  wbat  }'0ii  're  about,  my  good  fellow  ;  the  law 
has  its  eye  upon  3'ou." 

"If  the  law  can't  see  any  clearer  than  }Tou,  there's 
danger  to  ever}'  one,"  said  the  bailiff. 

"Do  you  refuse?"  said  Corentin,  in  a  significant 
tone. 

"I'd  rather  have  my  head  cut  off  a  hundred  times, 
if  that  could  be  done,  than  come  to  an  agreement  with 
such  a  villain  as  }'Ou." 

Corentin  got  into  his  vehicle  hastily,  after  one  more 
comprehensive  look  at  Michu,  the  lodge,  and  Couraut, 
who  barked  at  him.  He  gave  certain  orders  in  passing 
through  Troyes,  and  then  returned  to  Paris.  All  the 
brigades  of  gendarmerie  in  the  neighborhood  received 
secret  instructions  and  special  orders. 

During  the  months  of  December,  Januaiy,  and  Feb- 
ruary the  search  was  active  and  incessant,  even  in 
remote  villages.  Spies  were  in  all  the  taverns.  Coren- 
tin learned  some  important  facts :  a  horse  like  that  of 
Michu  had  been  found  dead  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Lagny ;  the  five  horses  burned  in  the  forest  of  No- 
desme  had  been  sold,  for  five  hundred  francs  each,  b}r 
farmers  and  millers  to  a  man  who  answered  to  the 
description  of  Michu.  When  the  decree  against  the 
accomplices  and  harborers  of  Georges  was  put  in 
force  Corentin   confined   his   search    to   the   forest   of 


164  An  Historical  Mystery, 

Nodesme.  After  Moreau,  the  royalists,  and  Pichegru 
were  arrested  no  strangers  were  ever  seen  about  the 
place. 

Michu  lost  his  situation  at  that  time ;  the  notary 
of  Arcis  brought  him  a  letter  in  which  Malin,  now  made 
senator,  requested  Grevin  to  settle  all  accounts  with 
the  bailiff  and  dismiss  him.  Michu  asked  and  obtained 
a  formal  discharge  and  became  a  free  man.  To  the 
great  astonishment  of  the  neighborhood  he  went  to  live 
at  Cinq-Cygne,  where  Laurence  made  him  the  farmer 
of  all  the  reserved  land  about  the  chateau.  The  day 
of  his  installation  as  farmer  coincided  with  the  fatal 
day  of  the  death  of  the  Due  d'Enghien,  when  nearly 
the  whole  of  France  heard  at  the  same  time  of  the 
arrest,  trial,  condemnation,  and  death  of  the  prince,  — 
terrible  reprisals,  which  preceded  the  trial  of  Polignac, 
Riviere,  and  Moreau. 


An  Historical  Mystery,  16& 


PART   II. 
X. 

ONE  AND   THE   SAME,  YET   A  TWO-FOLD  LOVE. 

While  the  new  farm-house  was  being  built  Michu  the 
Judas,  so-called,  and  his  family  occupied  the  rooms  over 
the  stables  at  Cinq-Cygne  on  the  side  of  the  chateau 
next  to  the  famous  breach.  He  bought  two  horses,  one 
for  himself  and  one  for  Francois,  for  they  both  joined 
Gothard  in  accompanying  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne 
in  her  many  rides,  which  had  for  their  object,  as  ma}r 
well  be  imagined,  the  feeding  of  the  four  gentlemen  and 
perpetual  watching  that  they  were  still  in  safety.  Fran- 
cois  and  Gothard,  assisted  by  Couraut  and  the  conn 
tess's  dogs,  went  in  front  and  beat  the  woods  all  around 
the  hiding-place  to  make  sure  that  there  was  no  on« 
within  sight.  Laurence  and  Michu  carried  the  provis- 
ions which  Marthe,  her  mother,  and  Catherine  pre- 
pared, unknown  to  the  other  servants  of  the  household 
so  as  to  restrict  the  secret  to  themselves,  for  all  were 
sure  that  there  were  spies  in  the  village.  These  expedi- 
tions were  never  made  oftener  than  twice  a  week  and 


166  An  Historical  Mystery. 

on  different  days  and  at  different  hours,  sometimes  by 
da}*,  sometimes  by  night. 

These  precautions  lasted  until  the  trial  of  Riviere, 
Polignac,  and  Moreau  ended.  When  the  senatus-con- 
sultum,  which  called  the  dynast}'  of  Bonaparte  to  the 
throne  and  nominated  Napoleon  as  Emperor  of  the 
French,  was  submitted  to  the  French  people  for  accept- 
ance Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  signed  the  paper  Goulard 
brought  him.  When  it  was  made  known  that  the  Pope 
would  come  to  France  to  crown  the  Emperor,  Made- 
moiselle de  Cinq-Cygne  no  longer  opposed  the  general 
desire  that  her  cousins  and  the  young  d'Hauteserres 
should  petition  to  have  their  names  struck  off  the  list  of 
emigres,  and  be  themselves  reinstated  in  their  rights  as 
citizens.  On  this,  old  d'Hauteserre  went  to  Paris  and 
consulted  the  ci-devant  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf  who 
knew  Talleyrand.  That  minister,  then  in  favor,  con- 
ve}Ted  the  petition  to  Josephine,  and  Josephine  gave  it  to 
her  husband,  who  was  addressed  as  Emperor,  Majest}*, 
Sire,  before  the  result  of  the  popular  vote  was  known. 
Monsieur  de  Chargeboeuf,  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre,  and 
the  Abbe  Goujet,  who  also  went  to  Paris,  obtained  an 
interview  with  Talleyrand,  who  promised  them  his  sup- 
port. Napoleon  had  alread}*  pardoned  several  of  the 
principal  actors  in  the  great  royalist  conspiracy ;  and 
3*et,  though  the  four  gentlemen  were  merely  suspected 
of  complicity,  the  Emperor,  after  a  meeting  of  the  Coun- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  167 

cil  of  State,  called  the  senator  Malin,  Fouche,  Talley- 
rand, Canibaceres,  Lebrun,  and  Dubois,  prefect  of  police, 
into  his  cabinet. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  future  Emperor,  who  still 
wore  the  dress  of  the  First  Consul,  "  we  have  received 
from  the  Sieurs  de  Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre,  officers 
in  the  army  of  the  Prince  de  Conde,  a  request  to  be 
allowed  to  re-enter  France." 

"  The^v  are  here  now,"  said  Fouche. 

"  Like  many  others  whom  I  meet  in  Paris,"  remarked 
Talleyrand. 

"  I  think  3'ou  have  not  met  these  gentlemen,"  said 
Malin,  "  for  they  are  hidden  in  the  forest  of  Nodesme, 
where  they  consider  themselves  at  home." 

He  was  careful  not  to  tell  the  First  Consul  and 
Fouche  how  he  himself  had  given  them  warning,  by  talk- 
ing with  Grevin  within  hearing  of  Michu,  but  he  made 
the  most  of  Corentin's  reports  and  convinced  Napoleon 
that  the  four  gentlemen  were  sharers  in  the  plot  of 
Riviere  and  Polignac,  with  Michu  for  an  accomplice. 
The  prefect  of  police  confirmed  these  assertions. 

"  But  how  could  that  bailiff  know  that  the  conspiracy 
was  discovered?"  said  the  prefect,  "for  the  Emperor 
and  the  council  and  I  were  the  only  persons  in  the 
secret." 

No  one  paid  attention  to  this  remark. 

"  If  the}'  have  been  hidden  in  that  forest  for  the  last 


168  An  Historical  Mystery. 

seven  months  and  }Tou  have  not  been  able  to  find  them," 
said  the  Emperor  to  Fouche,  "  they  have  expiated  their 
misdeeds." 

"  Since  they  are  my  enemies  as  well,"  said  Malin, 
frightened  by  the  prefect's  clear-sightedness,  "  I  desire 
to  follow  the  magnanimous  example  of  your  Majesty ; 
I  therefore  make  nryself  their  advocate  and  ask  that 
their  names  be  stricken  from  the  list  of  emigres" 

"  They  will  be  less  dangerous  to  you  here  than  if  they 
are  exiled ;  for  they  will  now  have  to  swear  allegiance 
to  the  Empire  and  the  laws,"  said  Fouche,  looking  at 
Malin  fixedly. 

"In  what  way  are  they  dangerous  to  the  senator?" 
asked  Napoleon. 

Talleyrand  spoke  to  the  Emperor  for  some  minutes 
in  a  low  voice.  The  reinstatement  of  the  Messieurs  de 
Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre  appeared  to  be  granted. 

"Sire,"  said  Fouche,  "rely  upon  it,  you  will  hear 
of  those  men  again." 

Talle}Tand,  who  had  been  urged  by  the  Due  de 
Grandlieu,  gave  the  Emperor  pledges  in  the  name  of 
the  young  men  on  their  honor  as  gentlemen  (a  term 
which  had  great  fascination  for  Napoleon) ,  to  abstain 
from  all  attacks  upon  his  Majesty  and  to  submit 
themselves  to  his  government  in  good  faith. 

"  Messieurs  d'Hauteserre  and  de  Simeuse  are  not 
willing  to  bear  arms  against  France,  now  that   events 


An  Historical  Mystery.  169 

have  taken  their  present  course,"  he  said,  aloud  ;  "  they 
have  little  S3'mpathy,  it  is  true,  with  the  Imperial  gov- 
ernment, but  they  are  just  the  men  that  your  Majesty 
ought  to  conciliate.  They  will  be  satisfied  to  live  on 
French  soil  and  obey  the  laws." 

Then  he  laid  before  the  Emperor  a  letter  he  had 
received  from  the  brothers  in  which  these  sentiments 
were  expressed. 

"  Anything  so  frank  is  likely  to  be  sincere,"  said  the 
Emperor,  returning  the  letter  and  looking  at  Lebrun 
and  Cambaceres.  "  Have  you  any  further  objections?  " 
he  asked  of  Fouche\ 

"In  your  Majesty's  interests,"  replied  the  future 
minister  of  police,  "I  ask  to  be  allowed  to  inform 
these  gentlemen  of  their  reinstatement  —  when  it  is 
really  granted"  he  added,  in  a  louder  tone. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Napoleon,  noticing  an  anxious 
look  on  Fouche's  face. 

The  matter  did  not  seem  positively  decided  when  the 
Council  rose  ;  but  it  had  the  effect  of  putting  into  Napo- 
leon's mind  a  vague  distrust  of  the  four  }*oung  men. 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre,  believing  that  all  was  gained, 
wrote  a  letter  announcing  the  good  news.  The  family 
at  Cinq-Cygne  were  therefore  not  surprised  when,  a  few 
days  later,  Goulard  came  to  inform  the  countess  and 
Madame  d'Hauteserre  that  the}'  were  to  send  the  four 
gentlemen  to   Troyes,  where  the   prefect  would  show 


170  An  Historical  Mystery. 

them  the  decree  reinstating  them  in  their  rights  and 
administer  to  them  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Empire 
and  the  laws.  Laurence  replied  that  she  would  send 
the  notification  to  her  cousins  and  the  Messieurs 
d'Hauteserre. 

"  Then  they  are  not  here?  "  said  Goulard. 

Madame  d'Hauteserre  looked  anxiously  after  Lau- 
rence,  who  left  the  room  to  consult  Michu.  Michu  saw 
no  reason  why  the  young  men  should  not  be  released 
at  once  from  their  hiding-place.  Laurence,  Michu,  his 
son,  and  Gothard  therefore  started  as  soon  as  possible 
for  the  forest,  taking  an  extra  horse,  for  the  countess 
resolved  to  accompany  her  cousins  to  Troyes  and  return 
with  them.  The  whole  household,  made  aware  of  the 
good  news,  gathered  on  the  lawn  to  witness  the  depart- 
ure of  the  happy  cavalcade.  The  four  young  men 
issued  from  their  long  confinement,  mounted  their 
horses,  and  took  the  road  to  Troyes,  accompanied  by 
Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne.  Michu,  with  the  help  of 
his  son  and  Gothard,  closed  the  entrance  to  the  cellar, 
and  started  to  return  home  on  foot.  On  the  way  he 
recollected  that  he  had  left  the  forks  and  spoons  and  a 
silver  cup,  which  the  young  men  had  been  using,  in  the 
cave,  and  he  went  back  for  them  alone.  When  he 
reached  the  edge  of  the  pond  he  heard  voices,  and 
went  straight  to  the  entrance  of  the  cave  through  the 
brushwood. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  171 

"Have  you  come  for  your  silver?"  said  Peyrade, 
showing  his  big  red  nose  through  the  branches. 

Without  knowing  why,  for  at  any  rate  his  young 
masters  were  safe,  Michu  felt  a  sharp  agony  in  all  his 
joints,  so  keen  was  the  sense  of  vague,  indefinable  com- 
ing evil  which  took  possession  of  him ;  but  he  went 
forward  at  once,  and  found  Corentin  on  the  stairs  with 
a  taper  in  his  hand. 

"  We  are  not  very  harsh,"  he  said  to  Michu  ;  "  we 
might  have  seized  your  ci-devants  any  da}'  for  the  last 
week ;  but  we  knew  thev  were  reinstated  —  You  're 
a  tough  fellow  to  deal  with,  and  you  gave  us  too  much 
trouble  not  to  make  us  anxious  to  satisfy  our  curiosity 
about  this  hiding-place  of  yours." 

"  I'd  give  something,"  cried  Michu,  "to  know  how 
and  by  whom  we  have  been  sold." 

"  If  that  puzzles  you,  old  fellow,"  said  Peyrade,  laugh- 
ing, ik  look  at  your  horses'  shoes,  and  you  '11  see  that 
you  betrayed  yourselves." 

"Well,  there  need  be  no  rancor!"  said  Corentin, 
whistling  for  the  captain  of  gendarmerie  and  their 
horses. 

"  So  that  rascally  Parisian  blacksmith  who  shoed  the 
horses  in  the  English  fashion  and  left  Cinq-Cygne  only 
the  other  day  was  their  spy  !  "  thought  Michu.  "  They 
must  have  followed  our  tracks  when  the  ground  was 
damp.     Well,  we  're  quits  now  !  " 


172  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Michu  consoled  himself  by  thinking  that  the  discover}^ 
was  of  no  consequence,  as  the  young  men  were  now 
safe,  Frenchmen  once  more,  and  at  liberty.  Yet  his 
first  presentiment  was  a  true  one.  The  police,  like  the 
Jesuits,  have  the  one  virtue  of  never  abandoning  their 
friends  or  their  enemies. 

Old  d'Hauteserre  returned  from  Paris  and  was  more 
than  surprised  not  to  be  the  first  to  bring  the  news. 
Durieu  prepared  a  succulent  dinner,  the  servants  donned 
their  best  clothes,  and  the  whole  household  impatiently 
awaited  the  exiles,  who  arrived  about  four  o'clock, 
happy,  —  and  yet  humiliated,  for  they  found  they  were  to 
be  under  police  surveillance  for  two  years,  obliged  to 
present  themselves  at  the  prefecture  every  month  and 
ordered  to  remain  in  the  commune  of  Cinq-Cygne  dur- 
ing the  said  two  years.  u  I  '11  send  you  the  papers  for 
signature,"  the  prefect  said  to  them.  •■*  Then,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months,  3'ou  can  ask  to  be  relieved  of 
these  conditions,  which  are  imposed  on  all  of  Pichegru's 
accomplices.     I  will  back  }-our  request." 

These  restrictions,  fairly  deserved,  rather  dispirited 
the  young  men,  but  Laurence  laughed  at  them. 

"  The  Emperor  of  the  French,"  she  said,  "  was  badly 
brought  up ;  he  has  not  yet  acquired  the  habit  of 
bestowing  favors  graciously." 

The  party  found  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  chateau  at 
the  gates,  and  a  goodly  proportion  of  the  people  of  the 


An  Historical  Mystery.  173 

■ 

village  waiting  on  the  road  to  see  the  3'oung  men,  whose 
adventures  had  made  them  famous  throughout  the 
department.  Madame  d'Hauteserre  held  her  sons  to 
her  breast  for  a  long  time,  her  face  covered  with  tears  ; 
she  was  unable  to  speak  and  remained  silent,  though 
happy,  through  a  part  of  the  evening.  No  sooner 
had  the  Simeuse  twins  dismounted  than  a  cry  of  sur- 
prise arose  on  all  sides,  caused  b}'  their  amazing  resem- 
blance, —  the  same  look,  the  same  voice,  the  same 
actions.  They  both  had  the  same  movement  in  rising 
from  their  saddles,  in  throwing  their  leg  over  the 
crupper  of  their  horses  when  dismounting,  in  flinging 
the  reins  upon  the  animal's  neck.  Their  dress,  pre- 
cisely the  same,  contributed  to  this  likeness.  The}7 
wore  boots  a  la  Suwaroff,  made  to  fit  the  instep,  tight 
trousers  of  white  leather,  green  hunting-jackets  with 
metal  buttons,  black  cravats,  and  buckskin  gloves.  The 
two  young  men,  just  thirt}*-one  years  of  age,  were  —  to 
use  a  term  in  vogue  in  those  da}Ts  —  charming  cavaliers, 
of  medium  height  but  well  set  up,  brilliant  e^-es  with 

long  lashes,  floating  in  liquid  like  those  of  children,  black 

■ 
hair,  noble  brows,  and  olive  skin.     Their  speech,  gentle 

as  that  of  a  woman,  Tell  graciously  from  their  fresh  red 
lips  ;  their  manners,  more  elegant  and  polished  than  those 
of  the  provincial  gentlemen,  showed  that  knowledge  of 
men  and  things  had  given  them  that  supplemental  edu- 
cation which  makes  its  possessor  a  man  of  the  world. 


174  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Not  lacking  money,  thanks  to  Michu,  during  their 
emigration,   the}'  had  been  able  to  travel  and  be  re- 
ceived at  foreign  courts.     Old   d'Hauteserre   and    the 
abbe  thought  them  rather  haughty  ;  but  in  their  present 
position  this  may  have  been  the  sign  of  nobility  of  char- 
acter.    They  possessed  all  the  eminent  little  marks  of 
a  careful  education,  to  which  the}-  added  a  wonderful 
dexterity  in  bodily  exercises.     Their  only  dissimilarity 
was  in   the  region  of  ideas.     The  youngest  charmed- 
others  by  his  gayety,  the  eldest  by  his  melancholy  ;  but, 
the  contrast,  which  was  purely  spiritual,   was  not  at 
first  observable. 


"  Ah,  wife,*'  whispered  Michu  in  Marthe's  ear, 
"  how  could  one  help  devoting  one's  self  to  those  young 
fellows  ?  " 

Marthe,  who  admired  them  as  a  wife  and  mother, 
nodded  her  head  prettily  and  pressed  her  husband's 
hand.  The  servants  were  allowed  to  kiss  their  new 
masters. 

During  their  seven  months'  seclusion  in  the  forest 
(which  the  young  men  had  brought  upon  themselves) 
the}'  had  several  times  committed  the  imprudence  of 
taking  walks  about  their  hiding-place,  carefully  guarded 
by  Michu,  his  son,  and  Gothard.  During  these  walks, 
taken  usually  on  starlit  nights,  Laurence,  reuniting  the 
thread  of  their  past  and  present  lives,  felt  the  utter 
impossibility   of  choosing   between   the    brothers.      A 


An  Historical  Mystery.  175 

pure  and  equal  love  for  each  divided  her  heart.  She 
fancied  indeed  that  she  had  two  hearts.  On  their  side, 
the  brothers  dared  not  speak  to  themselves  of  their 
impending  rivalry.  Perhaps  all  three  were  trusting  to 
time  and  accident.  The  condition  of  her  mind  on  this 
subject  acted  no  doubt  upon  Laurence  as  they  entered 
the  house,  for  she  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  took 
an  arm  of  each  as  she  entered  the  salon  followed  by 
Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  who  were  occu- 
pied with  their  sons.  Just  then  a  cheer  burst  from 
the  servants,  "  Long  live  the  Cinq-Cygne  and  the 
Simeuse  families !  "  Laurence  turned  round,  still  be- 
tween the  brothers,  and  made  a  charming  gesture  of 
acknowledgment. 

When  these  nine  persons  came  to  actually  observe 
each  other,  —  for  in  all  meetings,  even  in  the  bosom  of 
families,  there  comes  a  moment  when  friends  observe 
those  from  whom  they  have  been  long  parted,  —  the 
first  glance  which  Adrien  d'Hauteserre  cast  upon  Lau- 
rence seemed  to  his  mother  and  to  the  abbe  to  betra}r 
love.  Adrien,  the  younger  of  the  d'Hauteserres1  had  a 
sweet  and  tender  soul ;  hiXheart  had  remained, adoles- 
cent in  spite  of  the  catastrophes  which  had  nerved  the 
man.  Like  many  young  heroes,  kept  virgin  in  spirit 
by  perpetual  peril,  he  was  daunted  by  the  timidities  of 
youth.  In  this  he  was  very  different  from  his  brother, 
a  man  of  rough  manners,  a  great  hunter,  an  intrepid 


msiL^^\ 


176  An  Historical  Mystery. 

soldier,  full  of  resolution,  but  coarse  in  fibre  and  with- 
out activity  of  mind  or  delicacy  in  matters  of  the  heart. 
One  was  all  soul,  the  other  all  action ;  and  yet  they 
both  possessed  in  the  same  degree  that  sense  of  honor 
which  is  the  vital  essence  of  a  gentleman.  Dark,  short, 
slim  and  wiry,  Adrien  d'Hauteserre  gave  an  impression 
of  strength ;  whereas  Robert,  who  was  tall,  pale  and 
fair,  seemed  weakly.  Adrien,  nervous  in  temperament, 
was  stronger  in  soul ;  while  his  brother  though  lym- 
phatic, was  fonder  of  bodil}*  exercise.  Families  often 
present  these  singularities  of  contrast,  the  causes  of 
which  it  might  be  interesting  to  examine  ;  but  the}T  are 
mentioned  here  merely  to  explain  how  it  was  that 
Adrien  was  not  likely  to  find  a  rival  in  .his  brother. 
Robert's  affection  for  Laurence  was  that  of  a  relation, 
the  respect  of  a  noble  for  a  girl  of  his  own  caste.  In 
matters  of  sentiment  the  elder  d'Hauteserre  belonged 
to  the  class  of  men  who  consider  woman  as  an  appen- 
dage to  man,  limiting  her  sphere  to  the  ph}*sical  duties 
of  maternity ;  demanding  perfection  in  that  respect, 
but  regarding  her  mentally  as  of  no  account.  To  such 
men  the  admittance  of  woman  as  an  actual  sharer  in 
society,  in  the  body  politic,  in  the  family,  meant  the 
subversion  of  the  social  svstem.  In  these  davs  we  are 
so  far  removed  from  this  theory  of  primitive  people 
that  almost  all  women,  even  those  who  do  not  desire 
the  fatal  emancipation  offered  by  the  new  sects,  will  be 


An  Historical  Mystery.  177 

shocked  in  merely  hearing  of  it ;  but  it  must  be  owned 
that  Robert  d'Hauteserre  had  the  misfortune  to  think 
in  that  way:  Robert  was  a  man  of  the  middle-ages, 
Adrien  a  man  of  to-day.  These  differences  instead  of 
hindering  their  affection  had  drawn  its  bonds  the  closer. 
On  the  first  evening  after  the  return  of  the  young  men 
these  shades  of  character  were  caught  and  under- 
stood b}*  the  abbe,  Mademoiselle  Goujet,  and  Madame 
d'Hauteserre,  who,  while  playing  their  boston,  were 
secretly  foreseeing  the  difficulties  of  the  future. 

At  twenty-three  years  of  age,  haying  passed  through 
the  man}'  reflections  of  a  long  solitude  and  the  anguish 
of  a  defeated  enterprise,  Laurence  had  become  a  woman, 
and  felt  within  her  an  absorbing  desire  for  affection. 
She  now  put  forth  all  the  graces  of  her  mind  and  .was 
charming ;  she  revealed  the  hidden  beauties  of  her  ten- 
der heart  with  the  simple  candor  of  a  child.  For  the 
last  thirteen  j^ears  she  had  been  a  woman  only  through 
suffering;  she  longed  to  obtain  amends  for  it, Land 
she— showed  herself  as  loving  and  winning  as  she  had 
been,  up  to  this  time,  strong  and  great 

The  four  elders,  who  were  the  last  to  leave  the  salon 
that  night,  admitted  to  each  other  that  they  felt  uneasy 
at  the  new  position  of  this  charming  girl.  What  power 
might  not  passion  have  on  a  }'Oung  woman  of  her  char- 
acter and  with  her  nobility  of  soul?  The  twin  brothers 
loved  her  with  one  and  the  same  love  and  a  blind  devo- 

12 


178  An  Historical  Mystery. 

tion ;  which  of  the  two  would  Laurence  choose  ?  To 
choose  one  was  to  kill  the  other.  Countess  in  her  own 
right,  she  could  bring  her  husband  a  title  and  certain 
prerogatives,  together  with  a  long  lineage.  Perhaps  in 
thinking  of  these  advantages  the  elder  of  the  twins,  the 
Marquis  de  Simeuse,  would  sacrifice  himself  to  give 
Laurence  to  his  brother,  who,  according  to  the  old  laws, 
was  poor  and  without  a  title.  But  would  the  younger 
brother  deprive  the  elder  of  the  happiness  of  having 
Laurence  for  a  wife?  At  a  distance,  this  strife  of  love 
and  generosity  might  do  no  harm,  —  in  fact,  so  long  as 
the  brothers  were  facing  danger  the  chances  of  war 
might  end  the  difficulty ;  but  what  would  be  the  re- 
sult of  this  reunion?  When  Marie-Paul  and  Paul- 
Marie  reached  the  age  wThen  passions  rise  to  their 
greatest  height  could  they  share,  as  now,  the  looks  and 
words  and  attentions  of  their  cousin?  must  there  not 
inevitably  arise  a  jealousy  between  them  the  ^conse- 
quences of  which  might  be  horrible  ?  What  would  then 
become  of  the  unity  of  those  beautiful  lives,  one  in 
heart  though  twain  in  body?  To  these  questionings, 
passed  from  one  to  another  as  the}*  finished  their  game, 
Madame  d'Hauteserre  replied  that  in  her  opinion  Lau- 
rence would  not  marry  either  of  her  cousins.  The 
poor  lad}'  had  experienced  that  evening  one  of  those 
inexplicable  presentiments  which  are  secrets  between 
the  mother's  heart  and  God. 


J 

An  Historical  Mystery.  179 

Laurencel  in  her  inward  consciousness,  was  not  less 
alarmed  at  finding  herself  tete-a-tete  with  her  cousins. 
To  the  active  drama  of  conspiracy,  to  the  dangers  which 
the  brothers  had  incurred,  to  the  pain  and  penalties  of 
their  exile,  was  now  succeeding  another  sort  of  drama, 
of  which  she  had  never  thought.  This  noble  girl  could 
not  resort  to  the  violent  means  of  refusing  to  many 
either  of  the  twins  ;  and  she  was  too  honest  a  woman 
to  marry  one  and  keep  an  irresistible  passion  for  the 
other  in  her  heart.  To  remain  unmarried,  to  weary 
her  cousins'  love  by  no  decision,  and  then  to  take  the 
one  who  was  faithful  to  her  in  spite  of  her  caprices,  was 
a  solution  of  the.  difficulty  not  so  much  sought  for  by 
her  as  vaguety  admitted.  As  she  fell  asleep  that  night 
sjie  told  herself  the  wisest  course  to  follow  was  to  let 
things  take  their  chance.  Chance  is,  in  love,  the 
providence  of  women.  *3hUt-r^ 

The  next  morning  Michu  went  to  Paris,  whence  he 
returned  a  few  da}*s  later  with  four  fine  horses  for  his 
new  masters.  In  six  weeks'  time  the  hunting  would 
begin,  and  the  young  countess  sagety  reflected  that  the 
violent  excitements  of  that  exercise  would  be  a  help 
against  the  tete-a-tetes  of  the  chateau.  At  first,  how- 
ever, an  unexpected  result  surprised  the  spectators 
of  these  strange  loves  and  roused  their  admiration. 
Without  any  premeditated  agreement  the  brothers 
rivalled  each  other  in  attentions  to  Laurence,  with  a 


} 


180  An  Historical  Mystery. 

sense  of  pleasure  in  so  doing  which  appeared  to  suffice 
them.  The  relation  between  themselves  and  Laurence 
was  just  as  fraternal  as  that  between  themselves. 
What  could  be  more  natural?  After  so  long  an  ab- 
sence the}T  felt  the  necessity  of  studying  her,  of  know- 
ing her  well  and  letting  her  know  them,  leaving  to  her 
the  right  of  choice.  The}'  were  sustained  in  this  first 
trial  by  the  mutual  affection  which  made  their  double 
life  one  and  the  same  life. 

Love,  like  their  own  mother,  was  unable  to  distin- 
guish between  the  brothers.  Laurence  was  obliged  (in 
order  to  know  them  apart  and  make  no  mistakes)  to 
give  them  different  cravats  —  to  the  elder  a  white  one, 
to  the  3-ounger  black.  Without  this  perfect  resem- 
blance, this  identity  of  life,  which  misled  all  about 
them,  such  a  situation  would  be  justly  thought  impossi- 
ble. It  can,  indeed,  be  explained  only  by  the  fact 
itself,  which  is  one  of  those  which  men  do  not  believe  m 
unless  they  see  them  ;  and  then  the  mind  is  more  be- 
wildered by  having  to  explain  them  than  b}'  the  actual 
sight  which  caused  belief.  If  Laurence  spoke,  her  voice 
echoed  in  two  hearts  equally  faithful  and  loving  with 
one  tone.  Did  she  give  utterance  to  an  intelligent,  or 
witty,  or  noble  thought,  her  glance  encountered  the 
delight  expressed  in  two  glances  which  followed  her 
eveiy  movement,  interpreted  her  slightest  wish,  and 
beamed  upon  her  ever  with  a  new  expression,  gayety 


An  Historical  Mystery,  181 

in  the  one,  tender  melancholy  in  the  other.  In  any 
matter  that  concerned  their  mistress  the  brothers 
showed  an  admirable  quick- wittedness  of  heart  coupled 
with  instant  action  which  (to  use  the  abbess  own  exjjresj^ 
sion)  approached  the(sublimeL  Often,  if  something  had 
to  be  fetched,  if  it  was  a  question  of  some  little  atten- 
tion which  men  delight  to  pay  to  a  beloved  woman,  the 
elder  would  leave  that  pleasure  to  the  younger  with  a 
look  at  Laurence  that  was  proud  and  tender.  The 
younger,  on  the  other  hand,  put  all  his  own  pride  into 
paying  such  debts.  This  rivalry  of  noble  natures  in  a 
feeling  which  leads  men  often  to  the  jealous  ferocity 
of  the  beasts  amazed  the  old  people  who  were  watching 
it,  and  bewildered  their  ideas. 

Such  little  details  often  drew  tears  to  the  eyes  of  the 
countess.      A  singh^ pp.n aafctofla.  which   is   perhaps  all 


■    T* 


powerful  in  some  rare  organizations,  will  give  an  idea 
of  Laurence^  emotions  ;  it  may  be  perceived  by  recall- 
ing the  perfect  unison  of  two  fine  voices  (like  those  of 
Malibran  and  Sontag)  in  some  harmonious  duo,  or  the 
blending  of  two  instruments  touched  by  the  hand  of 
genius,  their  melodious  tones  entering  the  soul  like  the 
passionate  sighing  of  one  heart.  Sometimes,  seeing  the 
Marquis  de  Simeuse  buried  in  an  arm-chair  and  glanc- 
ing from  time  to  time  with  deepest  melancholy  at  his 
brother  and  Laurence  who  were  talking  and  laughing, 
the  abbe  believed  him   capable  of  making   the  great 


<sj^M~  *\  L*  ^- 


182  An  Historical  Mystery, 

sacrifice ;  presently,  however,  the  priest  would  see  in 
the  young  man's  eyes  the  flash  of  an  unconquerable 
passion.  Whenever  either  of  the  brothers  found  him- 
self alone  with  Laurence  he  might  reasonably  suppose 
himself  the  one  preferred. 

"  I  fancv  then  that  there  is  but  one  of  them,"  ex- 
plained  the  countess  to  the  abbe  when  he  questioned 
her.     That  answer  showed  the  priest  /her  total  want  of 

coquetry.     LaurenQfi_...di& not   conceive   that   she  was 

[oved  by  two  men. 

"  But,  my  dear  child,"   said  Madame  d'Hauteserre 
■^one  evening  (her  own  son  silently  dying  of  love  for 
Laurence),  "  30U  must  choose  !  " 

"  Oh,  let  us  be  happy,"  she  replied  ;  "  God  will  save 
us  from  ourselves." 

Adrien  d'Hauteserre  buried  within  his  breast  the 
jealousy  that  was  consuming  him  ;  he  kept  the  secret  of 
his  torture,  aware  of  how  little  he  could  hope.  He  tried 
to  be  content  with  the  happiness  of  seeing  the  charm- 
ing woman  who  during  the  few  months  this  struggle 
lasted  shone  in  all  her  l^rjlliancv^  i  In  one  sense  Lau- 
rence had  become  coquettish,  taking  that  dainty  care  of 
her  person  which  women  who  are  loved  delight  in.  She 
followed  the  fashions,  and  went  more  than  once  to 
Paris  to  deck  her  beaut}r  with  chiffons  or  some  choice 
novelty.  Desirous  of  giving  her  cousins  a  sense  of 
home  and  its  every  enjoyment,  from  which  they  had  so 


An  Historical  Mystery.  183 

long  been  severed,  she  made  her  chateau,  in  spite  of  the 
remonstrances  of  her  late  guardian,  the  most  completely 
comfortable  house  in  Champagne. 

Robert  d'Hauteserre  saw  nothing  of  this  hidden 
drama ;  he  never  noticed  his  brother's  love  for  Lau- 
rence. As  to  the  girl  herself,  he  liked  to  tease  her 
about  her  coquetiy,  —  for  he  confounded  that  odious 
defect  with  the  natural  desire  to  please  ;  he  was  alwaj's 
mistaken  in  matters  of  feeling,  taste,  and  the  higher 
ethics.  So,  whenever  this  man  of  the  middle-ages  ap- 
peared on  the  scene,  Laurence  immediately  made  him, 
unknown  to  himself,  the  clown  of  the  play  ;  she  amused 
her  cousins  by  arguing  with  Robert,  and  leading  him, 
step  b}'  step,  into  some  bog  of  ignorance  and  stupidity. 
She  excelled  in  such  clever  mischief,  which,  to  be  really 
successful,  must  leave  the  victim  content  with  himself. 
And  yet,  though  his  nature  was  a  coarse  one,  Robert 
never,  during  those  delightful  months  (the  only  happy 
period  in  the  lives  of  the  three  young  people)  said  one 
virile  word  which  might  have  brought  matters  to  a  crisis 
between  Laurence  and  her  cousins.  He  was  struck 
with  the  sincerity  of  the  brothers ;  he  saw  how  the 
one  could  be  glad  at  the  happiness  of  the  other  and  yet 
suffer  anguish  in  the  depths  of  his  heart,  and  he  did 
perceive  how  a  woman  might  shrink  from  showing  ten- 
derness to  one  which  would  grieve  the  other.  This  per- 
ception on  Robert's  part  was  a  just  one  ;    it  explains 


184  An  Historical  Mystery. 

a  situation  which,  in  times  of  faith,  when  the  sovereign 
pontiff  had  power  to  intervene  and  cut  the  Gordiau 
knot  of  such  phenomena  (allied  to  the  deepest  and  most 
impenetrable  mysteries),  would  have  found  its  solution. 
The  Revolution  had  deepened  the  Catholic  faitti  in 
these  young  hearts,  and  religion  now  rendered  this 
crisis  in  their  lives  the  more  severe,  because  nobility  of 
character  is  ever  heightened  by  the  grandeur  of  cir- 
cumstances. A  sense  of  this  truth  kept  Monsieur  and 
Madame  d'Hauteserre  and  the  abbe*  from  the  slightest 
fear  of  an}^  unworthy  result  on  the  part  of  the  brothers 
or  of  Laurence. 

This  private  drama,  secretly  developing  within  the 
limits  of  the  family  life  where  each  member  watched  it 
silently,  ran  its  course  so  rapidly  and  withal  so  slowly,  ;t 
carried  with  it  so  many  un-hoped  for  pleasures,  trifling 
jars,  frustrated  fancies,  hopes  reversed,  anxious  waitings, 
delayed  explanations  and  mute  avowals  that  the  dwellers 
at  Cinq-Cygne  paid  no  attention  to  the  public  drama  of 
the  Emperor's  coronation.  At  times  these  passions 
made  a  truce  and  sought  distraction  in  the  violent 
enjoyment  of  hunting,  when  weariness  of  body  took 
from  the  soul  all  occasions  to  wander  in  the  danger- 
ous meads  of  re  very.  Neither  Laurence  nor  her 
cousins  had  a  thought  now  for  public  affairs  ;  each  day 
brought  its  palpitating  and  absorbing  interests  for  their 
hearts. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  185 

"  Really,"  said  Mademoiselle  Goujet  one  evening,  "I 
don't  know  which  of  all  the  lovers  loves  the  most." 

Adrien,  who  happened  to  be  alone  in  the  salon  with 
the  four  card-pla3'ers,  raised  his  eyes  and  turned  pale. 
For  the  last  few  days  his  only  hold  on  life  had  been  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  Laurence  and  of  listening  to  her. 

"  I  think,"  said  the  abbe,  "  that  the  countess,  being 
a  woman,  loves  with  the  greater  abandonment  to  love." 

Laurence,  the  twins,  and  Robert  entered  the  room 
soon  after.  The  newspapers  had  just  arrived.  Eng- 
land, seeing  the  failure  of  all  conspiracies  attempted 
within  the  borders  of  France,  was  now  arming  Europe 
against  their  common  enemy.  The  disaster  at  Trafal- 
gar had  overthrown  one  of  the  most  amazing  plans 
which  human  genius  ever  conceived  ;  b}T  which,  if  it  had 
succeeded,  the  Emperor  would  have  paid  the  nation  for 
his  election  by  the  ruin  of  the  British  power.  The 
camp  at  Boulogne  had  just  been  raised.  Napoleon, 
whose  soldiers  were,  as  always,  inferior  in  numbers 
to  the  enemy,  was  about  to  carry  the  war  into  parts 
of  Europe  where  he  had  not  before  waged  it.  The 
whole  world  was  breathless,  awaiting  the  results  of  the 
campaign. 

"He'll  surely  be  defeated  this  time,"  said  Robert, 
laying  down  the  paper. 

"  The  armies  of  Austria  and  of  Russia  are  before 
him,"  said  Marie-Paul. 


186  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"He  has  never  fought  in  German}-,"  added  Paul- 
Marie. 

4 '  Of  whom  are  you  speaking  ?  "  asked  Laurence. 

44  The  Emperor,"  answered  the  three  gentlemen. 

The  jealous  girl  threw  a  disdainful  look  at  her  twin 
lovers,  which  humiliated  them  while  it  rejoiced  the  heart 
of  Adrien,  who  made  a  gesture  of  admiration  and  gave 
her  one  proud  look,  which  said  plainly  that  he  thought 
only  of  her,  —  of  Laurence. 

"  I  told  you,"  said  the  abb£,  in  a  low  voice,  "  that  love 
would  some  day  cause  her  to  forget  her  animosity." 

It  was  the  first,  last,  and  only  reproach  the  brothers 
ever  received  from  her ;  but  certainty  at  that  moment 
their  love,  which  could  still  be  distracted  by  national 
events,  was  inferior  to  that  of  Laurence,  which,  absorbed 
her  mind  so  completely  that  she  only  knew  of  the  amaz- 
ing triumph  at  Austerlitz  by  overhearing  a  discussion 
between  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  and  his  sons. 

Faithful  to  his  ideas  of  submission,  the  old  man 
wished  both  Robert  and  Adrien  to  re-enter  the  French 
army  and  apply  for  service ;  they  could,  he  thought,  be 
reinstated  in  their  rank  and  soon  find  an  opening  to 
militaiy  honors.  But  royalist  opinions  were  now  all- 
powerful  at  Cinq-Cygne.  The  four  }roung  men  and 
Laurence  laughed  at  their  prudent  elder,  who  seemed  to 
foresee  a  coming  evil.  Possibly,  prudence  is  less  a 
virtue  than  the  exercise  of  some  instinct,  or  sense  of  the 


An  Historical  Mystery.  187 

mind  (if  it  is  allowable  to  couple  those  two  words) .  A 
day  will  come,  no  doubt,  when  physiologists  and  phi- 
losophers will  both  admit  that  the  senses  are,  in  some 
way,  the  sheath  or  vehicle  of  a  keen  and  penetrative 
active  power  which  issues  from  the  mind. 


188  An  Historical  Mystery. 


XL 

WISE  COUNSEL. 

After  peace  was  concluded  between  France  and 
Austria,  towards  the  end  of  the  month  of  February, 
1806,  a  relative,  whose  influence  had  been  employed 
for  the  reinstatement  of  the  Simeuse  brothers,  and  who 
was  destined  later  to  give  them  signal  proofs  of  family 
attachment,  the  ci-devant  Marquis  de  Chargebceuf, 
whose  estates  extended  from  the  department  of  the 
Seine-et-Marne  to  that  of  the  Aube,  arrived  xme  morn- 
ing at  Cinq-Cygne  in  a  species  of  caleche  which  was 
then  named  in  derision  a  berlingot.  When  this  shabby 
carriage  was  driven  past  the  windows  the  inhabitants  of 
the  chateau,  who  were  at  breakfast,  were  convulsed  with 
laughter ;  but  when  the  bald  head  of  the  old  man  was 
seen  issuing  from  behind  the  leather  curtain  of  the 
vehicle  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  told  his  name,  and  all 
present  rose  instantly  to  receive  and  do  honor  to  the 
head  of  the  house  of  Chargebceuf. 

"  We  have  done  wrong  to  let  him  come  to  us,"  said 
the  Marquis  de  Simeuse  to  his  brother  and  the  d'Haute- 
serres  ;  "we  ought  to  have  gone  to  him  and  made  our 
acknowledgments." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  189 

A  servant,  dressed  as  a  peasant,  who  drove  the 
horses  from  a  seat  on  a  level  with  the  bod}'  of  the  car- 
riage, slipped  his  cartman's  whip  into  a  coarse  leather 
socket,  and  got  down  from  the  box  to  assist  the  marquis 
from  the  carriage ;  but  Aclrien  and  the  younger  de 
Simeuse  prevented  him,  unbuttoned  the  leather  apron, 
and  helped  the  old  man  out  in  spite  of  his  protestations. 
This  gentleman  of  the  old  school  chose  to  consider  his 
yellow  berlingot  with  its  leather  curtains  a  most  con- 
venient and  excellent  equipage.  The  servant,  assisted 
by  Gothard,  unharnessed  the  stout  horses  with  shining 
flanks,  accustomed  no  doubt  to  do  as  much  duty  at  the 
plough  as  in  a  carriage. 

"In  spite  of  this  cold  weather!  Why,  30U  are  a 
knight  of  the  olden  time,"  said  Laurence,  to  her  visitor, 
taking  his  arm  and  leading  him  into  the  salon. 

"  What  has  he  come  for?"  thought  old  d'Hauteserre. 

Monsieur  de  Chargebceuf,  a  handsome  old  gentleman 
of  sixt3'-six,  in  light-colored  breeches,  his  small  weak 
legs  encased  in  colored  stockings,  wore  powder,  pigeon- 
wings  and  a  queue.  His  green  cloth  hunting-coat  with 
gold  buttons  was  braided  and  frogged  with  gold.  His 
white  waistcoat  glittered  with  gold  embroidery.  This 
apparel,  still  in  vogue  among  old  people,  became  his 
face,  which  was  not  unlike  that  of  Frederick  the  Great. 
He  never  put  on  his  three-cornered  hat  lest  he  should 
destroy  the  effect  of  the  half-moon   traced   upon   his 


190  An  Historical  Mystery, 

cranium  by  a  layer  of  powder.  His  right  hand,  resting 
on  a  hooked  cane,  held  both  cane  and  hat  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  Louis  XIV.  The  fine  old  gentleman  took  off 
his  wadded  silk  pelisse  and  seated  himself  in  an  arm- 
chair, holding  the  three-cornered  hat  and  the  cane 
between  his  knees  in  an  attitude  the  secret  of  which  has 
never  been  grasped  by  any  but  the  roues  of  Louis  XV. 's 
court,  an  attitude  which  left  the  hands  free  to  play  with 
a  snuff-box,  always  a  precious  trinket.  Accordingly 
the  marquis  drew  from  the  pocket  of  his  waistcoat, 
which  was  closed  by  a  flap  embroidered  in  gold  ara- 
besques, a  sumptuous  snuff-box.  While  fingering  his 
own  pinch  and  offering  the  box  around  him  with  another 
charming  gesture  accompanied  with  kindly  smiles,  he 
noticed  the  pleasure  which  his  visit  gave.  He  seemed 
then  to  comprehend  why  these  young  emigres  had  been 
remiss  in  their  duty  towards  him,  and  to  be  saying  to 
himself,  "  When  we  are  making  love  we  can't  make 
visits." 

"  You  will  stay  with  us  some  days?  "  said  Laurence. 

44  Impossible,"  he  replied.  "  If  we  were  not  so  sep- 
arated by  events  (for  as  to  distance,  you  go  farther  than 
that  which  lies  between  us)  you  would  know,  my  dear 
child,  that  I  have  daughters,  daughters-in-law,  and 
grand-children.  All  these  dear  creatures  would  be  very 
uneasy  if  I  did  not  return  to  them  to-night,  and  1  have 
forty-five  miles  to  go." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  191 

"  Your  horses  are  in  good  condition,"  said  the  Mar- 
quis de  Simeuse. 

"  Oh  !  1  am  just  from  Troyes,  where  I  had  business 
yesterday." 

After  the  customary  polite  inquiries  for  the  Marquise 
de  Chargeboeuf  and  other  matters  really  uninteresting 
but  about  which  politeness  assumes  that  we  are  keenly 
interested,  it  dawned  on  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  that 
the  old  gentleman  had  come  to  warn  his  young  relatives 
against  imprudence.  He  remarked  that  times  were 
changed  and  no  one  could  tell  what  the  Emperor  might 
not  become. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Laurence,  "  he  '11  make  himself  God." 

The  Marquis  spoke  of  the  wisdom  of  concession. 
When  he  stated,  with  more  emphasis  and  authority  than 
he  put  into  his  other  remarks,  the  necessity  of  submis- 
sion, Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  looked  at  his  sons  with  an 
almost  supplicating  air. 

"Would  you  serve  that  man?"  asked  the  Marquis 
de  Simeuse. 

"  Yes,  I  would,  if  the  interests  of  my  family  required 
it,"  replied  Monsieur  de  Chargeboeuf. 

Gradually  the  old  man  made  them  aware,  though 
vaguely,  of  some  threatened  danger.  When  Laurence 
begged  him  to  explain  the  nature  of  it,  he  advised  the 
four  3*ou ng  men  to  refrain  from  hunting  and  to  keep 
themselves  as  much  in  retirement  as  possible. 


192  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  You  treat  the  domain  of  Gondreville  as  if  it  were 
3'our  own,"  he  said  to  the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse,  "  and 
you  are  keeping  alive  a  deadly  hatred.  I  see,  by  the 
surprise  upon  your  faces,  that  you  are  quite  unaware  of 
the  ill-will  against  3-011  at  Troyes,  where  your  late  brave 
conduct  is  remembered.  They  tell  of  how  you  foiled 
the  police  of  the  Empire ;  some  praise  you  for  it,  but 
others  regard  you  as  enemies  of  the  Emperor  ;  partisans 
declare  that  Napoleon's  clemency7  is  inexplicable.  That, 
however,  is  nothing.  The  real  danger  lies  here  ;  you 
foiled  men  who  thought  themselves  cleverer  than  3'ou ; 
and  low-bred  men  never  forgive.  Sooner  or  later  jus- 
tice, which  in  jTour  department  emanates  from  3'our 
enenrry,  Senator  Malin  (who  has  his  henchmen  every- 
where, even  in  the  ministerial  offices),  —  his  justice  will 
rejoice  to  see  you  involved  in  some  annoj'ing  scrape. 
A  peasant,  for  instance,  will  quarrel  with  you  for  riding 
over  his  field  ;  your  guns  are  in  your  hands,  you  are 
hot-tempered,  and  something  happens.  In  your  posi- 
tion it  is  absolute^7  essential  that  you  should  not  put 
yourselves  in  the  wrong.  I  do  not  speak  to  you  thus 
without  good  reason.  The  police  keep  this  arrondisse- 
ment  under  strict  surveillance ;  thev  have  an  asrent  in 
that  little  hole  of  Arcis  expressl}7  to  protect  the  Impe- 
rial senator  Malin  against  3'our  attacks.  He  is  afraid 
of  you,   and  says   so  openly." 

4 '  It  is  a  calumny  !  "  cried  the  younger  Simeuse. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  198 

"A  calumny,  —  I  am  sure  of  it  myself,  but  will  the 
public  believe  it?  Michu  certainly  did  aim  at  the  sena- 
tor, who  does  not  forget  the  danger  he  was  in ;  and 
since  3Tour  return  the  countess  has  taken  Michu  into 
her  service.  To  man}'  persons,  in  fact  to  the  majority, 
Malin  will  seem  in  the  right.  You  do  not  understand 
how  delicate  the  position  of  an  emigre  is  towards  those 
who  are  now  in  possession  of  his  property.  The  pre- 
fect, a  very  intelligent  man,  dropped  a  word  to  me  yes- 
terda}T  about  you  which  has  made  me  uneasy.  In 
short,  I  sincerely  wish  you  would  not  remain  here." 

This  speech  was  received  in  dumb  amazement.  Marie- 
Paul  rang  the  bell. 

"  Gothard,"  he  said,  to  the  little  page,  "  send  Michu 
here." 

"  Michu,  my  friend,"  said  the  Marquis  de  Simeuse 
when  the  man  appeared,  "is  it  true  that  you  intended 
to  kill  Malin?" 

"  Yes,  Monsieur  le  marquis  ;  and  when  he  comes  here 
again  I  shall  lie  in  wait  for  him." 

"  Do  you  know  that  we  are  suspected  of  instigating 
it,  and  that  our  cousin,  by  taking  }*ou  as  her  farmer  is 
supposed  to  be  furthering  }'our  scheme  ?  " 

"  Good  God  ! "  cried  Michu,  "  am  I  accursed?  Shall 
I  never  be  able  to  rid  you  of  that  villain  ?  " 

"  No,  my  man,  no!"  said  Paul-Marie.  "But  we 
will  always  take  care  of  you,  though  }X)u  will  have  to 

13 


194  An  Historical  Mystery, 

leave  our  service  and  the  country  too.  Sell  your  prop- 
erty here ;  we  will  send  you  to  Trieste  to  a  friend  of 
ours  who  has  immense  business  connections,  and  he  '11 
employ  you  until  things  are  better  in  this  country  for 
all  of  us." 

Tears  came  into  Michu's  eyes ;  he  stood  rooted  to 
the  floor. 

"  Were  there  any  witnesses  when  3*011  aimed  at 
Malin  ?  "    asked  the  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf. 

"  Grevin  the  notary  was  talking  with  him,  and  that 
prevented  my  killing  him  —  very  fortunately,  as  Ma- 
dame la  Comtesse  knows,"  said  Michu,  looking  at  his 
mistress. 

"Grevin  is  not  the  only  one  who  knows  it?"  said 
Monsieur  de  Chargeboeuf,  who  seemed  annoyed  at  what 
was  said,  though  none  but  the  family  were  present. 

"  That  police-spy  who  came  here  to  trap  my  masters, 
he  knew  it  too,"  said  Michu. 

Monsieur  de  Chargeboeuf  rose  as  if  to  look  at  the 
gardens,  and  said,  "  You  have  made  the  most  of 
Cinq-Cygne."  Then  he  left  the  house,  followed  bjr  the 
two  brothers  and  Laurence,  who  now  saw  the  meaning 
of  his  visit. 

•'You  are  frank  and  generous,  but  most  impru- 
dent," said  the  old  man.  "  It  was  natural  enough  that 
I  should  warn  you  of  a  rumor  which  was  certain 
to  be  a  slander ;  but  what  have  3*011  done  now  ?  3'ou 


An  Historical  Mystery,  195 

have  let  such  weak  persons  as  Monsieur  and  Madnme 
d'Hauteserre  and  their  sons  see  that  there  was  truth  in 
it.  Oh,  young  men  !  young  men  !  You  ought  to  keep 
Michu  here  and  go  away  yourselves.  But  if  you  per- 
sist in  remaining,  at  least  write  a  letter  to  the  senator 
and  tell  him  that  having  heard  the  rnmors  about  Michu 
you  have  dismissed  him  from  your  employ." 

"We!"  exclaimed  the  brothers;  "  what,  write  to 
Malin,  —  to  the  murderer  of  our  father  and  our  mother, 
to  the  insolent  plunderer  of  our  property  !  " 

"  All  true ;  but  he  is  one  of  the  chief  personages  at 
the  Imperial  court,  and  the  king  of  your  department." 

"  He,  who  voted  for  the  death  of  Louis  XVI.  in  case 
the  army  of  Conde  entered  France  !  "  cried  Laurence. 

"He,  who  probably  advised  the  murder  of  the  Due 
d'Enghien  !  "  exclaimed  Paul-Marie. 

"  Well,  well,  if  you  want  to  recapitulate  his  titles  of 
nobility,"  cried  Monsieur  de  Chargebceuf,  "  say  he  who 
pulled  Robespierre  b}r  the  skirts  of  his  coat  to  make 
him  fall  when  he  saw  that  his  enemies  were  stronger 
than  he ;  he  who  would  have  shot  Bonaparte  if  the 
18th  Brumaire  had  missed  fire;  he  who  manoeuvres 
now  to  bring  back  the  Bourbons  if  Napoleon  totters  ; 
he  whom  the  strong  will  ever  find  on  their  side  to  han- 
dle either  sword  or  pistol  and  put  an  end  to  an  adver- 
sary whom  the}'  fear  !  But  —  all  that  is  only  reason 
the  more  for  what  I   urge   upon   3*011." 


196  An  Historical  Mystery, 

"  We  have  fallen  very  low,"  said  Laurence. 

"  Children,"  said  the  old  marquis,  taking  them  by  the 
hand  and  going  to  the  lawn,  then  covered  b}r  a  slight 
fall  of  snow  ;  "  you  will  be  angry  at  the  prudent  advice 
of  an  old  man,  but  I  am  bound  to  give  it,  and  here  it  is  : 
If  I  were  you  I  would  emplo}'  as  go-between  some  trust- 
worthy old  fellow  —  like  myself,  for  instance  ;  I  would 
;ommission  him  to  ask  Malin  for  a  million  of  francs  for 
he  title-deeds  of  Gondreville ;  he  would  gladly  con- 
*  ent  if  the  matter  were  kept  secret.  You  will  then 
have  capital  in  hand,  an  income  of  a  hundred  thousand 
francs,  and  you  can  bivy  some  fine  estate  in  another 
part  of  France.  As  for  Cinq-Cygne,  it  can  safely  be  left 
to  the  management  of  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre,  and  you 
can  draw  lots  as  to  which  of  3'ou  shall  win  the  hand  of 
this  dear  heiress  —  But  ah  !  I  know  the  words  of  an  old 
man  in  the  ears  of  the  }Toung  are  like  the  words  of  the 
young  in  the  ears  of  the  old,  a  sound  without  meaning." 

The  old  marquis  signed  to  his  three  relatives  that  he 
wished  no  answer,  and  returned  to  the  salon,  where, 
during  their  absence,  the  abbe  and  his  sister  had 
arrived. 

The  proposal  to  draw  lots  for  their  cousin's  hand  had 
offended  the  brothers,  while  Laurence  revolted  in  her 
soul  at  the  bitterness  of  the  remedy  the  old  marquis 
counselled.  All  three  were  now  less  gracious  to  him, 
though  the}r  did  not  cease  to  be  polite.     The  warmth  of 


An  Historical  Mystery.  197 

their  feeling  was  chilled.  Monsieur  de  Chargeboeuf, 
who  felt  the  change,  cast  frequent  looks  of  kindly  com- 
passion on  these  charming  3*oung  people.  The  conversa- 
tion became  general,  but  the  old  marquis  still  dwelt  on 
the  necessity  of  submitting  to  events,  and  he  applauded 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  for  his  persistence  in  urging  his 
sons  to  take  service  under  the  Empire. 

"  Bonaparte,"  he  said,  "  makes  dukes.  He  has 
created  Imperial  fiefs,  he  will  therefore  make  counts. 
Malin  is  determined  to  be  Comte  de  Gondreville.  That 
is  a  fane}',"  he  added,  looking  at  the  Simeuse  brothers, 
"  which  might  be  profitable  to  you  —  " 

"  Or  fatal,"  said  Laurence. 

As  soon  as  the  horses  were  put-to  the  marquis  took 
leave,  accompanied  to  the  door  by  the  whole  part}'. 
When  fairly  in  the  carriage  he  made  a  sign  to  Laurence 
to  come  and  speak  to  him,  and  she  sprang  upon  the 
foot-board  with  the  lightness  of  a  swallow. 

44  You  are  not  an  ordinary  woman,  and  you  ought  to 
understand  me,"  he  said  in  her  ear.  "  Malin's  con- 
science will  never  allow  him  to  leave  3'ou  in  peace  ;  he 
will  set  some  trap  to  injure  you.  I  implore  30U  to  be 
careful  of  all  3*our  actions,  even  the  most  unimportant. 
Compromise,  negotiate  ;  those  are  n^  last  words." 

The  brothers  stood  motionless  beside  their  cousin  and 
watched  the  berlingot  as  it  turned  through  the  iron 
gates  and  took  the  road  to  Tro3*es.     Laurence  repeated 


198  An  Historical  Mystery. 

the  old  man's  last  words.  But  sage  experience  should 
not  present  itself  to  the  eyes  of  youth  in  a  berlingot, 
colored  stockings,  and  a  queue.  These  ardent  young 
hearts  had  no  conception  of  the  change  that  had  passed 
over  France  ;  indignation  crisped  their  nerves,  honor 
boiled  with  their  noble  blood  through  every  vein. 

"He,  the  head  of  the  house  of  Chargebceuf ! "  said 
the  Marquis  de  Sinieuse.  "  A  man  who  bears  the  motto 
Adsit  fortior ,  the  noblest  of  warcries  !  " 

"  We  are  no  longer  in  the  days  of  Saint-Louis,"  said 
the  younger  Simeuse. 

"  But  'We  die  singing,'"  said  the  countess.  "The 
cry  of  the  five  3'oung  girls  of  my  house  is  mine  !  " 

"And  ours,  '  Cy  meurs,'  "  said  the  elder  Simeuse. 
"Therefore,  no  quarter,  I  say;  for,  on  reflection,  we 
shall  find  that  our  relative  had  pondered  well  what  he 
told  us  —     Gondreville  to  be  the  title  of  a  Malin  !  " 

"  And  his  seat !  "  said  the  younger. 

"  Mansart  designed  it  for  noble  stock,  and  the  popu- 
lace will  get  their  children  in  it !  "  exclaimed  the  elder. 

"  If  that  were  to  come  to  pass,  I  'd  rather  see  Gon- 
dreville in  ashes !  "  cried  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne. 

One  of  the  villagers,  who  had  entered  the  grounds  to 
examine  a  calf  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  was  tr}Ting  to  sell 
to  him,  overheard  these  last  words  as  he  came  from  the 
cow-sheds. 

"Let  us  go  in,"  said  Laurence,  laughing;   "this  is 


An  Historical  Mystery.  199 

ver}'  imprudent ;  we  are  giving  the  old  marquis  a  right  to 
blame  us.  My  poor  Michu,"  she  added,  as  she  entered 
the  salon,  "  I  had  forgotten  }our  adventure  ;  as  we 
are  not  in  the  odor  of  sanctity  in  these  parts  3'ou  must 
be  careful  not  to  compromise  us  in  future.  Have  you 
an}'  other  peccadillos  on  your  conscience?" 

"  I  blame  myself  for  not  having  killed  the  murderer 
of  nry  old  masters  before  I  came  to  the  rescue  of  my 
present  ones  —  " 

"  Michu  !  "  said  the  abbe  in  a  warning  tone. 

"But  I'll  not  leave  the  country,"  Michu  continued, 
paying  no  heed  to  the  abbe's  exclamation,  "till  I  am 
certain  vou  are  safe.     I  see  fellows  roaming  about  here 

whom  I  distrust.  The  last  time  we  hunted  fn  the  for- 
est, that  keeper  who  took  m}'  place  at  Gondreville 
came  to  me  and  asked  if  we  supposed  we  were  on  our 
own  property.  'Ho!  my  lad,'  I  said,  'we  can't  get 
rid  in  two  weeks  of  ideas  we've  had  for  centuries.'  " 

"  You  did  wrong,  Michu,"  said  the  Marquis  de 
Simeuse,  smiling  with  satisfaction, 

"What  answer  did  he  make?"  asked  Monsieur 
d'Hauteserre. 

"  He  said  he  would  inform  the  senator  of  our  claims," 
replied  Michu. 

"  Comte  de  Gondreville !  "  repeated  the  elder  Si- 
meuse ;  "  what  a  masquerade  !  But  after  all,  they  say 
'  your  Majesty  '  to  Bonaparte  I  " 


200  An  Historical  Myitery. 

"  And  to  the  Grand  Due  de  Berg,  '  your  Highness  ! '  " 
said  the  abbe. 

"  Who  is  he?"  asked  the  Marquis  de  Simeuse. 

"  Murat,  Napoleon's  brother-in-law,"  replied  old 
d'Hauteserre. 

"Delightful!"  remarked  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq- 
C}'gne.  "Do  they  also  sa}T  'your  Majesty'  to  the 
widow  of  Beauharnais  ?  " 

"Yes,  mademoiselle,"  said  the  abbe. 

"  We  ought  to  go  to  Paris  and  see  it  all,"  cried 
Laurence. 

"Alas,  mademoiselle,"  said  Michu,  "I  was  there  to 
put  Francois  at  school,  and  I  swear  to  you  there  's  no 
joking  with  what  they  call  the  Imperial  Guard.  If  the 
rest  of  the  army  are  like  them,  the  thing  majT  last  longer 
than  we." 

"  The}''  say  many  of  the  noble  families  are  taking 
service,"  said  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre. 

"  According  to  the  present  law,"  added  the  abbe, 
"  you  will  be  compelled  to  serve.  The  conscription 
makes  no  distinction  of  ranks  or  names." 

"  That  man  is  doing  us  more  harm  with  his  court 
than  the  Revolution  did  with  its  axe  !  "  cried  Laurence. 

"  The  Church  pra}*s  for  him,"  said  the  abbe. 

These  remarks,  made  rapidly  one  after  another,  were 
so  many  commentaries  on  the  wise  counsel  of  the  old 
Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf;   but  the  young  people    had 


An  Historical  Mystery.  201 

too  much  faith,  too  much  honor,  to  dream  of  resorting 
to  a  compromise.  They  told  themselves,  as  all  van- 
quished parties  in  all  times  have  declared,  that  the  luck 
of  the  conquerors  would  soon  be  at  an  end,  that  the 
Emperor  had  no  support  but  that  of  the  army,  that  the 
power  cle  facto  must  sooner  or  later  give  way  to  the 
Divine  Right,  etc.  So,  in  spite  of  the  wise  counsel 
given  to  them,  they  fell  into  the  pitfall,  which  others, 
like  old  d'Hauteserre,  more  prudent  and  more  amen- 
able to  reason,  would  have  been  able  to  avoid.  If 
men  were  frank  they  might  perhaps  admit  that  mis- 
fortunes never  overtake  them  until  after  they  have 
received  either  an  actual  or  an  occult  warning.  Many 
do  not  perceive  the  deep  meaning  of  such  visible  or 
invisible  signs  until  after  the  disaster  is  upon  them. 

"  In  any  case,  Madame  la  comtesse  knows  that  I 
cannot  leave  the  country  until  I  have  given  up  a  certain 
trust,"  said  Michu  in  a  low  voice  to  Mademoiselle  de 
Cinq-Cj'gne. 

For  all  answer  she  made  him  a  sign  of  acquiescence, 
and  he  left  the  room. 


202  An  Historical  Mystery, 


XII. 

THE  FACTS  OF  A  MYSTERIOUS    AFFAIR. 

Michu  sold  his  farm  at  once  to  Beauvisage,  a  farmer 
at  Bellache,  but  he  was  not  to  receive  the  money  for 
twenty  days.  A  month  after  the  Marquis  de  Charge- 
bceuf's  visit,  Laurence,  who  had  told  her  cousins  of 
their  buried  fortune,  proposed  to  them  to  take  the  day 
of  the  Mi-careme  to  disinter  it.  The  unusual  quantity 
of  snow  which  fell  that  winter  had  hitherto  prevented 
Michu  from  obtaining  the  treasure,  and  it  now  gave 
him  pleasure  to  undertake  the  operation  with  his  mas- 
ters. He  was  determined  to  leave  the  neighborhood 
as  soon  as  it  was  over,  for  he  feared  himself. 

"  Malin  has  suddenly  arrived  at  Gondreville,  and 
no  one  knows  why,"  he  said  to  his  mistress.  "  I  shall 
never  be  able  to  resist  putting  the  property  into  the 
market  by  the  death  of  its  owner.  I  feel  I  am  guilty 
in  not  following  my  inspirations." 

"Why  should  he  leave  Paris  at  this  season?"  said 
the  countess.  •   . 

"  All  Arcis  is  talking  about  it,"  replied  Michu  ;  "  he 
has  left  his  family  in  Paris,  and  no  one  is  with  him  but 
his  valet.     Monsieur  Grevin,  the  notary  of  Arcis,  Ma- 


An  Historical  Mystery,  203 

dame  Marion,  the  wife  of  the  receiver-general,  and  her 
sister-in-law  are  staying  at  Gondreville." 

Laurence  had  chosen  the  mid-lent  day  for  their  pur- 
pose because  it  enabled  her  to  give  her  servants  a 
holiday  and  so  get  thein  out  of  the  way.  The  usual 
masquerade  drew  the  peasantry  to  the  town  and  no  one 
was  at  work  in  the  fields.  Chance  made  its  calcula- 
tions with  as  much  cleverness  as  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq- 
Cygne  made  hers.  The  uneasiness  of  Monsieur  and 
Madame  d'Hauteserre  at  the  idea  of  keeping  eleven 
hundred  thousand  francs  in  gold  in  a  lonely  chateau  on 
the  borders  of  a  forest  was  likely  to  be  so  great  that 
their  sons  advised  they  should  know  nothing  about  it. 
The  secret  of  the  expedition  was  therefore  confined  to 
Gothard,  Michu,  Laurence,  and  the  four  gentlemen. 

After  much  consultation  it  seemed  possible  to  put 
forty-eight  thousand  francs  in  a  long  sack  on  the  crup- 
per of  each  of  their  horses.  Three  trips  would  there- 
fore bring  the  whole.  It  was  agreed  to  send  all  the 
servants,  whose  curiosity  might  be  troublesome,  to 
Troyes  to  see  the  shows.  Catherine,  Marthe,  and 
Durieu,  who  could  be  relied  on,  stayed  at  home  in 
charge  of  the  house.  The  other  servants  were  glad  of 
their  holida}-  and  started  by  daybreak.  Gothard,  as- 
sisted b}T  Michu,  saddled  the  horses  as  soon  as  they 
were  gone,  and  the  party  started  03'  way  of  the  gardens 
to  reach  the  forest.     Just  as  they  were  mounting  — for 


204  An  Historical  Mystery. 

the  park  gate  was  so  low  on  the  garden  side  that  they 
led  their  horses  until  they  were  through  it  —  old  Beau- 
visage,  the  farmer  at  Bellache,  happened  to  pass. 

"  There  !  "  cried  Gothard,  "  I  hear  some  one." 

"  Oh,  it  is  only  I,"  said  the  worth}7  man,  coming 
toward  them.  "  Your  servant,  gentlemen  ;  are  3-011  off 
hunting,  in  spite  of  the  new  decrees?  /don't  complain 
of  you  ;  but  do  take  care !  though  }-ou  have  friends 
you  have  also  enemies." 

"  Oh,  as  for  that,"  said  the  elder  d'Hauteserre,  smil- 
ing, "  God  grant  that  our  hunt  may  be  luck}'  to-day,  — 
if  so,  3011  will  get  3'our  masters  back  again." 

These  words,  to  which  events  were  destined  to  give 
a  totally  different  meaning,  earned  a  severe  look  from 
Laurence.  The  elder  Simeuse  was  confident  that 
Malin  would  restore  Gondreville  for  an  indemnity. 
These  rash  3'ouths  were  determined  to  do  exactly  the 
contrar37  of  what  the  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf  had  ad- 
vised. Robert,  who  shared  these  hopes,  was  thinking 
of  them  when  he  gave  utterance  to  the  fatal  words. 

"Not  a  word  of  this,  old  friend,"  said  Michu  to 
Beauvisage,  waiting  behind  the  others  to  lock  the  gate. 

It  was  one  of  those  fine  mornings  in  March  when  the 
air  is  dry,  the  earth  pure,  the  sky  clear,  and  the  atmos- 
phere a  contradiction  to  the  leafless  trees ;  the  season 
was  so  mild  that  the  e}re  caught  glimpses  here  and  there 
of  verdure. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  205 

"  We  are  seeking  treasure  when  all  the  while  you  are 
the  real  treasure  of  our  house,  cousin,"  said  the  elder 
Simeuse,  gayly. 

Laurence  was  in  front,  with  a  cousin  on  each  side  of 
her.  The  d'Hauteserres  were  behind,  followed  by  Michu. 
Gothard  had  gone  forward  to  clear  the  way. 

44  Now  that  our  fortune  is  restored,  you  must  marry 
my  brother,"  said  the  younger  in  a  low  voice.  "He 
adores  you ;  together  you  will  be  as  rich  as  nobles 
ought  to  be  in  these  davs." 

44  No,  give  the  whole  fortune  to  him  and  I  will  marry 
you,"  said  Laurence  ;   "I  am  rich  enough  for  two." 

"  So  be  it,"  cried  the  Marquis;  "I  will  leave  you, 
and  find  a  wife  worthy  to  be  your  sister." 

"  So  }'ou  really  love  me  less  than  I  thought  you  did  ?  " 
said  Laurence  looking  at  him  with  a  sort  of  jealous}'. 

u  No  ;  I  love  you  both  better  than  either  of  you  love 
me,"  replied  the  marquis. 

44  And  therefore  you  would  sacrifice  vourself  ? " 
asked  Laurence  with  a  glance  full  of  momentary 
preference. 

The  marquis  was  silent. 

44  Well,  then,  I  shall  think  onty  of  }OU,  and  that  will 
be  intolerable  to  my  husband,"  exclaimed  Laurence, 
impatient  at  his  silence. 

44  How  could  I  live  without  you?"  said  the  younger 
twin  to  his  brother. 


206  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"But,  after  all,  you  can't  marry  us  both,"  said  the 
marquis,  replying  to  Laurence;  "and  the  time  has 
come,"  he  continued,  in  the  brusque  tone  of  a  man  who 
is  struck  to  the  heart,  "  to  make  your  decision." 

He  urged  his  horse  in  advance  so  that  the  d'Haute- 
serres  might  not  overhear  them.  His  brother's  horse 
and  Laurence's  followed  him.  When  they  had  put 
some  distance  between  themselves  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  Laurence  attempted  to  speak,  but  tears  were  at 
first  her  only  language. 

"  I  will  enter  a  cloister,"  she  said  at  last. 

"And  let  the  race  of  Cinq-Cygne  end?"  said  the 
younger  brother.  "  Instead  of  one  unhappy  man,  would 
you  make  two?  No,  whichever  of  us  must  be  your 
brother  only,  will  resign  himself  to  that  fate.  It  is  the 
knowledge  that  we  are  no  longer  poor  that  has  brought 
us  to  explain  ourselves,"  he  added,  glancing  at  the 
marquis.  "  If  I  am  the  one  preferred,  all  this  money 
is  my  brother's.  If  I  am  rejected,  he  will  give  it  to  me 
with  the  title  of  de  Simeuse,  for  he  must  then  take  the 
name  and  title  of  Cinq  Cygne.  Whichever  way  it  ends, 
the  loser  will  have  a  chance  of  recover}'  —  but  if  he 
feels  he  must  die  of  grief,  he  can  enter  the  arm}*  and 
die  in  battle,  not  to  sadden  the  happy  household." 

"  We  are  true  knights  of  the  olden  time,  worthy  of 
our  fathers,"  cried  the  elder.  "  Speak,  Laurence  ;  de- 
cide between  us." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  207 

"  We  cannot  continue  as  we  are,"  said  the  younger. 

44  Do  not  think,  Laurence,  that  self-denial  is  without 
its  joys,"  said  the  elder. 

"My  dear  loved  ones,"  said  the  girl,  "  I  am  unable 
to  decide.  I  love  you  both  as  though  you  were  one 
being —  as  your  mother  loved  you.  God  will  help  us. 
I  cannot  choose.  Let  us  put  it  to  chance  —  but  I  make 
one  condition." 

44  What  is  it?" 

44  Whichever  one  of  you  becomes  my  brother  must 
stay  with  me  until  I  suffer  him  to  leave  me.  I  wish  to 
be  sole  judge  of  when  to  part." 

44  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  brothers,  without  explaining 
to  themselves  her  meaning. 

44  The  first  of  vou  to  whom  Madame  d'Hauteserre 
speaks  to-night  at  table  after  the  Benedicite,  shall  be 
my  husband.  But  neither  of  you  must  practise  fraud 
or  induce  her  to  answer  a  question." 

44  We  will  play  fair,"  said  the  younger,  smiling. 

Each  kissed  her  hand.  The  certainty  of  some  deci- 
sion which  both  could  fane}'  favorable  made  them  ga}\ 

44  Either  way,  dear  Laurence,  }'OU  create  a  Comte  de 
Cinq-Cygne  —  " 

44 1  believe,"  thought  Michu,  riding  behind  them,  "that 
mademoiselle  will  not  long  be  unmarried.  How  gay 
m}T  masters  are !  If  my  mistress  makes  her  choice  I 
shall  not  leave  ;  I  must  stay  and  see  that  wedding." 


208  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Just  then  a  magpie  flew  suddenly  before  his  face. 
Michu,  superstitious  like  all  primitive  beings,  fancied 
he  heard  the  muffled  tones  of  a  death-knell.  The  day, 
however,  began  brightly  enough  for  lovers,  who  rarely 
see  magpies  when  together  in  the  woods.  Michu,  armed 
with  his  plan,  verified  the  spots ;  each  gentleman  had 
brought  a  pickaxe,  and  the  money  was  soon  found. 
The  part  of  the  forest  where  it  was  buried  was  quite 
wild,  far  from  all  paths  or  habitations,  so  that  the 
cavalcade  bearing  the  gold  returned  unseen.  This 
proved  to  be  a  great  misfortune.  On  their  way  from 
Cinq-C3*gne  to  fetch  the  last  two  hundred  thousand 
francs,  the  party,  emboldened  by  success,  took  a  more 
direct  way  than  on  their  other  trips.  The  path  passed 
an  opening  from  which  the  park  of  Gondreville  could 
be  seen. 

"  What  is  that?  "  cried  Laurence,  pointing  to  a 
column  of  blue  flame. 

"  A  bonfire,  I  think,"  replied  Michu. 

Laurence,  who  knew  all  the  by-ways  of  the  forest, 
left  the  rest  of  the  party  and  galloped  towards  the 
pavilion,  Michu's  old  home.  Though  the  building  was 
closed  and  deserted,  the  iron  gates  were  open,  and 
traces  of  the  recent  passage  of  several  horses  struck 
Laurence  instantly.  The  column  of  blue  smoke  was 
rising  from  a  field  in  what  was  called  the  English  park, 
where,  as  she  supposed,  they  were  burning  brush. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  209 

"  Ah  !  so  you  are  concerned  in  it,  too,  are  you,  made- 
moiselle?" cried  Violette,  who  came  out  of  the  park  at 
top  speed  on  his  pony,  and  pulled  up  to  meet  Laurence. 
"  But,  of  course,  it  is  only  a  carnival  joke?  They  surely 
won't  kill  him?" 

"Who?" 

"  Your  cousins  would  n't  put  him  to  death?  " 

"  Death!  whose  death?" 

"The  senator's." 

"  You  are  crazy,  Violette  !  " 

"  Well,  what  are  you  doing  here,  then?  "  he 
demanded. 

At  the  idea  of  a  danger  which  was  threatening  her 
cousins,  Laurence  turned  her  horse  and  galloped  back 
to  them,  reaching  the  ground  as  the  last  sacks  were 
filled. 

"  Quick,  quick  !  "  she  cried.  "  I  don't  know  what  is 
going  on,  but  let  us  get  back  to  Cinq-Cygne." 

While  the  happy  party  were  emplo}Ted  in  recovering 
the  fortune  saved  by  the  old  marquis,  and  guarded  for 
so  many  3rears  b}r  Michu,  an  extraordinary  scene  was 
taking  place  in  the  chateau  of  Gondreville. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Malin  and  his  friend 
Grevin  were  playing  chess  before  the  fire  in  the  great 
salon  on  the  ground-floor.  Madame  Grevin  and  Ma- 
dame Marion  were  sitting  on  a  sofa  and  talking  together 
at  a  corner  of  the  fireplace.     All  the  servants  had  gone 

14 


210  An  Historical  Mystery. 

to  see  the  masquerade,  which  had  long  been  announced 
in  the  arrondissement.  The  fainil}'  of  the  bailiff  who 
had  replaced  Michu  had  gone  too.  The  senator's  valet 
and  Violette  were  the  only  persons  beside  the  famity  at 
the  chateau.  The  porter,  two  gardeners,  and  their 
wives  were  on  the  place,  but  their  lodge  was  at  the 
entrance  of  the  courtyards  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
avenue  to  Arcis,  and  the  distance  from  there  to  the  cha- 
teau is  beyond  the  sound  of  a  pistol-shot.  Violette  was 
waiting  in  the  antechamber  until  the  senator  and  Grevin 
could  see  him  on  business,  to  arrange  a  matter  relating 
to  his  lease.  At  that  moment  five  men,  masked  and 
gloved,  who  in  height,  manner,  and  bearing  strongly 
resembled  the  Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre  brothers  and 
Michu,  rushed  into  the  antechamber,  seized  and  gagged 
the  valet  and  Violette,  and  fastened  them  to  their  chairs 
in  a  side  room.  In  spite  of  the  rapidity  with  which  this 
was  done,  Violette  and  the  servant  had  time  to  utter 
one  cry.  It  was  heard  in  the  salon.  The  two  ladies 
thought  it  a  cry  of  fear. 

14 Listen!"  said  Madame  Grevin,  "  can  there  be 
robbers  ? " 

"  No,  nonsense  !  "  said  Grevin,  "  only  carnival  cries  ; 
the  masqueraders  must  be  coming  to  pay  us  a  visit." 

This  discussion  gave  time  for  the  four  strangers  to 
close  the  doors  towards  the  couilyards  and  to  lock  up 
Violette   and   the   valet.      Madame   Grevin,   who   was 


An  Historical  Mystery.  211 

rather  obstinate,  insisted  on  knowing  what  the  noise 
meant.  She  rose,  left  the  room,  and  came  face  to  face 
with  the  five  masked  men,  who  treated  her  as  they  had 
treated  the  farmer  and  the  valet.  Then  they  rushed 
into  the  salon,  where  the  two  strongest  seized  and 
gagged  Malin,  and  carried  him  off  into  the  park,  while 
the  three  others  remained  behind  to  gag  Madame 
Marion  and  Grevin  and  lash  them  to  their  armchairs. 
The  whole  affair  did  not  take  more  than  half  an  hour. 
The  three  unknown  men,  who  were  quickly  rejoined 
by  the  two  who  had  carried  off  the  senator,  then  pro- 
ceeded to  ransack  the  chateau  from  cellar  to  garret. 
They  opened  all  closets  and  doors,  and  sounded  the 
walls  ;  until  five  o'clock  they  were  absolute  masters  of 
the  place.  By  that  time  the  valet  had  managed  to 
loosen  with  his  teeth  the  rope  that  bound  Violette. 
Violette,  able  then  to  get  the  gag  from  his  mouth,  began 
to  shout  for  help.  Hearing  the  shouts  the  five  men 
withdrew  to  the  gardens,  where  they  mounted  horses 
closely  resembling  those  at  Cinq-Cygne,  and  rode  awa}T, 
but  not  so  rapidly  that  Violette  was  unable  to  catch 
sight  of  them.  After  releasing  the  valet,  the  two  ladies, 
and  the  notaiy,  Violette  mounted  his  pon\T  and  rode 
after  help.  When  he  reached  the  pavilion  he  was 
amazed  to  see  the  gates  open  and  Mademoiselle  de 
Cinq-Cygne  apparently  on  the  watch. 

Directly  after  the  young  countess  had  ridden  off,  Vio- 


212  An  Historical  Mystery, 

lette  was  overtaken  03'  Grevin  and  the  forester  of  the 
township  of  Gondreville,  who  had  taken  horses  from  the 
stables  at  the  chateau.  The  porter's  wife  was  on  her 
way  to  summon  the  gendarmerie  from  Arcis.  Violette 
at  once  informed  Grevin  of  his  meeting  with  Laurence 
and  the  sudden  flight  of  the  daring  girl,  whose  strong 
and  decided  character  was  known  to  all  of  them. 

44  She  was  keeping  watch,"  said  Violette. 

"Is  it  possible  that  those  Cinq-Cygne  people  have 
done  this  thing?"  cried  Grevin. 

44  Do  }'ou  mean  to  say  you  did  n't  recognize  that  stout 
Michu?  "  exclaimed  Violette.  "  It  was  he  who  attacked 
me  ;  I  knew  his  fist.  Besides,  they  rode  the  Cinq-Cygne 
horses." 

Noticing  the  hoof-marks  on  the  sand  of  the  rond- 
point  and  along  the  park  road  the  notary  stationed  the 
forester  at  the  gateway  to  see  to  the  preservation  of 
these  precious  traces  until  the  justice  of  peace  of  Arcis 
(for  whom  he  now  sent  Violette)  could  take  note  of 
them.  He  himself  returned  hastily  to  the  chateau, 
where  the  lieutenant  and  sub-lieutenant  of  the  Imperial 
gendarmerie  at  Arcis  had  arrived,  accompanied  by  four 
men  and  a  corporal.  The  lieutenant  was  the  same  man 
whose  head  Francois  Michu  had  broken  two  years 
earlier,  and  who  had  heard  from  Corentin  the  name 
of  his  mischievous  assailant.  This  man,  whose  name 
was  Giguet  (his  brother  was  in  the  army,  and  became 


An  Historical  Mystery.  213 

one  of  the  finest  colonels  of  artilleiy),  was  an  extremely 
able  officer  of  gendarmerie.  Later  he  commanded  the 
squadron  of  the  Aube.  The  sub-lieutenant,  named 
Welff,  had  formerly  driven  Corentin  from  Cinq-Cygne 
to  the  pavilion,  and  from  the  pavilion  to  Troyes.  On 
the  wa}%  the  spy  had  fully  informed  him  as  to  what  he 
called  the  trickery  of  Laurence  and  Michu.  The  two 
officers  were  therefore  well  inclined  to  show,  and  did 
show,  great  eagerness  against  the  family  at  Cinq- 
Cygne. 


214  An  Historical  Mystery. 


XIII. 

THE   CODE  OF  BRUMAIRE,  YEAR  IV. 

Malin  and  Grevin  had  both,  the  latter  working  for 
the  former,  taken  part  in  the  construction  of  the  Code 
called  that  of  Brumaire,  jTear  IV.,  the  judicial  work  of 
the  National  Convention,  so-called,  and  promulgated 
by  the  Directory.  Grevin  knew  its  provisions  thor- 
oughly, and  was  able  to  apply  them  in  this  affair  with 
terrible  celerit}7,  under  a  theory,  now  converted  into  a 
certainty,  of  the  guilt  of  Michu  and  the  Messieurs  de 
Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre.  No  one  in  these  days,  un- 
less it  be  some  antiquated  magistrates,  will  remember 
this  s}Tstem  of  justice,  which  Napoleon  was  even  then 
overthrowing  by  the  promulgation  of  his  own  Codes, 
and  by  the  institution  of  his  magistracy  under  the  form 
in  which  it  now  rules  France. 

The  Code  of  Brumaire,  year  IV.,  gave  to  the  director 
of  the  jury  of  the  department  the  duty  of  discovering, 
indicting,  and  prosecuting  the  persons  guilty  of  the 
delinquency  committed  at  Gondreville.  Remark,  by 
the  way,  that  the  Convention  had  eliminated  from  its 
judicial  vocabulary  the  word  "  crime  ;  "  delinquencies  and 
misdemeanors  were  alone  admitted  ;  and  these  were  pun- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  215 

ished  with  fines,  imprisonment,  and  penalties  "  afflic- 
tive or  infamous."  Death  was  an  afflictive  punishment. 
But  the  penalty  of  death  was  to  be  done  awajT  with 
after  the  restoration  of  peace,  and  twenty-four  years  of 
hard  labor  were  to  take  its  place.  Thus  the  Conven- 
tion estimated  twenty-four  years  of  hard  labor  as  the 
equivalent  of  death.  What  therefore  can  be  said  for 
a  code  which  inflicts  the  punishment  of  hard  labor 
for  life?  The  system  then  in  process  of  preparation 
by  the  Napoleonic  Council  of  State  suppressed  the 
function  of  the  directors  of  juries,  which  united  many 
enormous  powers.  In  relation  to  the  discovery  of 
delinquencies  and  their  prosecution  the  director  of  the 
jury  was,  in  fact,  agent  of  police,  public  prosecutor, 
municipal  judge,  and  the  court  itself.  His  proceedings 
and  his  indictments  were,  however,  submitted  for  sig- 
nature to  a  commissioner  of  the  executive  power  and 
to  the  verdict  of  eight  jurymen,  before  whom  he  laid 
the  facts  of  the  case,  and  who  examined  the  witnesses 
and  the  accused  and  rendered  the  preliminary  verdict, 
called  the  indictment.  The  director  was,  however,  in 
a  position  to  exercise  such  influence  over  the  jurymen, 
who  met  in  his  private  office,  that  they  could  not  well 
avoid  agreeing  with  him.  These  jun*men  were  called  the 
jury  of  indictment.  There  were  others  who  formed  the 
juries  of  the  criminal  tribunals  whose  dut}T  it  was  to 
judge  the  accused ;  these  were  called,  in  contradistinc- 


216  An  Historical  Mystery. 

tion  to  the  jury  of  indictment,  the  judgment  jury.  The 
criminal  tribunal,  to  which  Napoleon  afterwards  gave 
the  name  of  criminal  court,  was  composed  of  one  Presi- 
dent or  chief  justice,  four  judges,  the  public  prosecutor, 
and  a  government  commissioner. 

Nevertheless,  from  1799  to  1806  there  were  special 
courts  (so-called)  which  judged  without  juries  certain 
misdemeanors  in  certain  departments  ;  these  were  com- 
posed of  judges  taken  from  the  civil  courts  and  formed 
into  a  special  court.  This  conflict  of  special  justice 
and  criminal  justice  gave  rise  to  questions  of  compe- 
tence which  came  before  the  courts  of  appeal.  If 
the  department  of  the  Aube  had  had  a  special  court, 
the  verdict  on  the  outrage  committed  on  a  senator 
of  the  Empire  would  no  doubt  have  been  referred  to  it ; 
but  this  tranquil  department  had  never  needed  unusual 
jurisdiction.  Grevin  therefore  despatched  the  sub- 
lieutenant to  Troyes  to  bring  the  director  of  the  jury 
of  that  town.  The  emissary  went  at  full  gallop,  and 
soon  returned  in  a  post-carriage  with  the  all-powerful 
magistrate. 

The  director  of  the  Troyes  jury  was  formerly  secre- 
tary7 of  one  of  the  committees  of  the  Convention,  a 
friend  of  Malin,  to  whom  he  owed  his  present  place. 
This  magistrate,  named  Lechesneau,  had  helped  Malin, 
as  Grevin  had  done,  in  his  work  on  the  Code  during 
the  Convention.     Malin  in  return  recommended  him  to 


An  Historical  Mystery.  217 

Cambaceres,  who  appointed  hiiri  attorne}'-general  for 
Italy.  Unfortunately  for  him,  Lechesneau  had  a  liaison 
with  a  great  lady  in  Turin,  and  Napoleon  removed  him 
to  avoid  a  criminal  trial  threatened  by  the  husband. 
Lechesneau,  bound  in  gratitude  to  Malin,  felt  the  im- 
portance of  this  attack  upon  his  patron,  and  brought 
with  him  a  captain  of  gendarmerie  and  twelve  men. 

Before  starting  he  laid  his  plans  with  the  prefect, 
who  was  unable  at  that  late  hour,  it  being  after  dark, 
to  use  the  telegraph.  They  therefore  sent  a  mounted 
messenger  to  Paris  to  notify  the  minister  of  police,  the 
chief  justice  and  the  Emperor  of  this  extraordinary 
crime.  In  the  salon  of  Gondreville,  Lechesneau  found 
Mesdames  Marion  and  Grevin,  Violette,  the  senator's 
valet,  and  the  justice  of  peace  with  his  clerk.  The 
chateau  had  already  been  examined ;  the  justice,  as- 
sisted by  Grevin,  had  carefully  collected  the  first  testi- 
mony. The  first  thing  that  struck  him  was  the  obvious 
intention  shown  in  the  choice  of  the  day  and  hour  for 
the  attack.  The  hour  prevented  an  immediate  search 
for  proofs  and  traces.  At  this  season  it  was  nearly 
dark  by  half-past  five,  the  hour  at  which  Violette  gave 
the  alarm,  and  darkness  often  means  impunity  to  evil- 
doers. The  choice  of  a  holiday,  when  most  persons 
had  gone  to  the  masquerade  at  Arcis,  and  the  senator 
was  comparatively  alone  in  the  house,  showed  an  ob- 
vious intention  to  get  rid  of  witnesses. 


218  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Let  us  do  justice  to  the  intelligence  of  the  prefect- 
ure of  police,'*  said  Lechesneau ;  "  they  have  never 
ceased  to  warn  us  to  be  on  our  guard  against  the  nobles 
at  Cinq-Cygne ;  they  have  always  declared  that  sooner 
or  later  those  people  would  play  us  some  dangerous 
trick." 

Sure  of  the  active  co-operation  of  the  prefect  of  the 
Aube,  who  sent  messengers  to  all  the  surrounding  pre- 
fectures asking  them  to  search  for  the  five  abductors 
and  the  senator,  Lechesneau  began  his  work  by  veil- 
ing the  first  facts.  This  was  soon  done  bj-  the  help  of 
two  such  legal  heads  as  those  of  Grevin  and  the  justice 
of  peace.  The  latter,  named  Pigoult,  formerly  head- 
clerk  in  the  office  where  Malin  and  Grevin  had  first 
studied  law  in  Paris,  was  soon  after  appointed  judge  of 
the  municipal  court  at  Arcis.  In  relation  to  Michu, 
Lechesneau  knew  of  the  threats  the  man  had  made 
about  the  sale  of  Gondreville  to  Marion,  and  the  dan- 
ger Malin  had  escaped  in  his  own  park  from  Michu's 
gun.  These  two  facts,  one  being  the  consequence  of 
the  other,  were  no  doubt  the  precursors  of  the  present 
successful  attack,  and  the}'  pointed  so  obviously  to  the 
late  bailiff  as  the  instigator  of  the  outrage  that  Grevin, 
his  wife,  Violette,  and  Madame  Marion  declared  that 
they  had  recognized  among  the  five  masked  men  one 
who  exactly  resembled  Michu.  The  color  of  the  hair 
and  whiskers  and  the  thick-set  figure  of  the  man  made 


An  Historical  Mystery.  219 

the  mask  he  wore  useless.  Besides,  who  but  Michn 
could  have  opened  the  iron  gates  of  the  park  with  a 
key?  The  present  bailiff  and  his  wife,  now  returned 
from  the  masquerade,  deposed  to  having  locked  both 
gates  before  leaving  the  pavilion.  The  gates  when 
examined  showed  no  sign  of  being  forced. 

"  When  we  turned  him  off  he  must  have  taken  some 
duplicate  keys  with  him,"  remarked  Grevin.  "No 
doubt  he  has  been  meditating  a  desperate  step,  for  he 
has  lately  sold  his  whole  property,  and  he  received  the 
money  for  it  in  my  office  day  before  yesterda}*." 

"The  others  have  followed  his  lead!"  exclaimed 
Lechesneau,  struck  with  the  circumstance.  "He  has 
been  their  evil  genius." 

Moreover,  who  could  know  as  well  as  the  Messieurs 
de  Simeuse  the  inns  and  outs  of  the  chateau.  None 
of  the  assailants  seemed  to  have  blundered  in  their 
search ;  they  had  gone  through  the  house  in  a  confident 
way  which  showed  that  they  knew  what  the}*  wanted 
and  where  to  find  it.  The  locks  of  none  of  the  opened 
closets  had  been  forced  ;  therefore  the  delinquents  had 
keys.  Strange  to  say,  however,  nothing  had  been  taken  ; 
the  motive,  therefore,  was  not  robber}*.  More  than  all, 
when  Violette  had  followed  the  tracks  of  the  horses 
as  far  as  the  rond-point,  he  had  found  the  countess, 
evidently  on  guard,  at  the  pavilion.  From  such  a  com- 
bination of  facts  and  depositions  arose  a  presumption  as 


220  An  Historical  Mystery, 

to  the  guilt  of  the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse,  d'Haute- 
serre,  and  Michu,  which  would  have  been  strong  to 
unprejudiced  minds,  and  to  the  director  of  the  jury  had 
the  force  of  certainty.  What  were  they  likely  to  do  to 
the  future  Comte  de  Gondreville?  Did  they  mean  to 
force  him  to  make  over  the  estate  for  which  Michu  de- 
clared in  1799  he  had  the  money  to  pay? 

But  there  was  another  aspect  of  the  case  to  the 
knowing  criminal  lawyer.  He  asked  himself  what 
could  be  the  object  of  the  careful  search  made  of  the 
chateau.  If  revenge  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  matter, 
the  assailants  would  have  killed  the  senator.  Perhaps 
he  had  been  killed  and  buried.  The  abduction,  how- 
ever, seemed  to  point  to  imprisonment.  But  wiry  keep 
their  victim  imprisoned  after  searching  the  castle  ?  It 
was  folly  to  suppose  that  the  abduction  of  a  dignitary  of 
the  Empire  could  long  remain  secret.  The  publicity  of 
the  matter  would  prevent  an}7  benefit  from  it. 

To  these  suggestions  Pigoult  replied  that  justice  was 
never  able  to  make  out  all  the  motives  of  scoundrels. 
In  every  criminal  case  there  were  obscurities,  he  said, 
between  the  judge  and  the  guilty  person ;  conscience 
had  depths  into  which  no  human  mind  could  enter  un- 
less by  the  confession  of  the  criminal. 

Grevin  and  Lechesneau  nodded  their  assent,  without, 
however,  relaxing  their  determination  to  see  to  the 
bottom  of  the  present  mystery. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  221 

"  The  Emperor  pardoned  those  young  men,"  said 
Pigoult  to  Grevin.  "  He  removed  their  names  from 
the  list  of  emigres,  though  they  certainly  took  part  in 
that  last  conspiracy  against  him." 

Lechesneau  made  no  delay  in  sending  his  whole  force 
of  gendarmerie  to  the  forest  and  to  the  valley  of  Cinq- 
Cygne ;  telling  Giguet  to  take  with  him  the  justice  of 
peace,  who,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  Code,  would 
then  become  an  auxiliary  police-officer.  He  ordered 
them  to  make  all  preliminary  inquiries  in  the  township 
of  Cinq-Cygne,  and  to  take  testimony  if  necessary ;  and 
to  save  time,  he  dictated  and  signed  a  warrant  for  the 
arrest  of  Michu,  against  whom  the  charge  was  evident 
on  the  positive  testimony  of  Violette.  After  the  de- 
parture of  the  gendarmes  Lechesneau  returned  to  the 
important  question  of  issuing  warrants  for  the  arrest  of 
the  Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre  brothers.  According  to 
the  Code  these  warrants  would  have  to  contain  the 
charges  against  the  delinquents. 

Giguet  and  the  justice  of  peace  rode  so  rapidly  to 
Cinq-Cygne  that  the}'  met  Laurence's  servants  return- 
ing from  the  festivities  at  Troyes.  Stopped,  and  taken 
before  the  mayor  where  they  were  interrogated,  they 
all  stated,  being  ignorant  of  the  importance  of  the  an« 
swer,  that  their  mistress  had  given  them  permission  to 
spend  the  whole  da}*  at  Troyes.  To  a  question  put  by 
the  justice  of  the  peace,  each  replied  that  Mademoiselle 


m 


222  An  Historical  Mystery. 

had  offered  them  the  amusement  which  they  had  not 
thought  of  asking  for.  This  testimony  seemed  so  im- 
portant to  the  justice  of  the  peace  that  he  sent  back  a 
messenger  to  Gondreville  to  advise  Lechesneau  to  pro- 
ceed himself  to  Cinq-Cygne  and  arrest  the  four  gentle- 
men, while  he  went  to  Michu's  farm,  so  that  the  five 
arrests  might  be  made  simultaneously. 

This  new  element  was  so  convincing  that  Leches- 
neau started  at  once  for  Cinq-Cj'gne.  He  knew  well 
what  pleasure  would  be  felt  in  Troyes  at  such  proceed- 
ings against  the  old  nobles,  the  enemies  of  the  people, 
now  become  the  enemies  of  the  Emperor.  In  such 
circumstances  a  magistrate  is  ver}T  apt  to  take  mere 
presumptive  evidence  for  actual  proof.  Nevertheless, 
on  his  way  from  Gondreville  to  Cinq-Cygne,  in  the 
senator's  own  carriage,  it  did  occur  to  Lechesneau 
(who  would  certainly  have  made  a  fine  magistrate  had 
it  not  been  for  his  love-affair,  and  the  Emperor's  sudden 
moralit}*  to  which  he  owed  his  disgrace)  to  think  the 
audacity  of  the  young  men  and  Michu  a  piece  of  folly 
which  was  not  in  keeping  with  what  he  knew  of  the 
judgment  and  character  of  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq- 
C}'gne.  He  imagined  in  his  own  mind  some  other 
motives  for  the  deed  than  the  restitution  of  Gondreville. 
In  all  things,  even  in  the  magistracy,  there  is  what  ma}' 
be  called  the  conscience  of  a  calling.  Lechesneau's 
perplexities  came  from  this  conscience,  which  all  men 


An  Historical  Mystery.  228 

put  into  the  proper  performance  of  the  duties  they  like 
—  scientific  men  into  science,  artists  into  art,  judges 
into  the  rendering  of  justice.  Perhaps  for  this  reason 
judges  are  realty  greater  safeguards  for  persons  accused 
of  wrong-doing  than  are  juries.  A  magistrate  relies 
only  on  reason  and  its  laws ;  juries  are  floated  to  and 
fro  by  the  waves  of  sentiment.  The  director  of  the 
jury  accordingly  set  several  questions  before  his  mind, 
resolving  to  find  in  their  solution  satisfactor}'  reasons 
for  making  the  arrests. 

Though  the  news  of  the  abduction  was  already  agi- 
tating the  town  of  Tro}'es,  it  was  still  unknown  at  Arcis, 
where  the  inhabitants  were  supping  when  the  messenger 
arrived  to  summon  the  gendarmes.  No  one,  of  course, 
knew  it  in  the  village  of  Cinq-Cygne,  the  valley  and 
the  chateau  of  which  were  now,  for  the  second  time, 
encircled  by  gendarmes. 

Laurence  had  only  to  tell  Marthe,  Catherine,  and  the 
Durieus  not  to  leave  the  chateau,  to  be  strictly  obe\'ed. 
After  each  trip  to  fetch  the  gold,  the  horses  were  fas- 
tened in  the  covered  wa}*  opposite  to  the  breach  in  the 
moat,  and  from  there  Robert  and  Michu,  the  strongest 
of  the  part}',  carried  the  sacks  through  the  breach  to  a 
cellar  under  the  staircase  in  the  tower  called  Mademoi- 
selle's. Reaching  the  chateau  with  the  last  load  about 
half-past  five  o'clock,  the  four  gentlemen  and  Michu 
proceeded  to  bury  the  treasure  in  the  floor  of  the  cellar 


224  An  Historical  Mystery. 

and  then  to  wall  up  the  entrance.  Michu  took  charge 
of  the  matter  with  Gothard  to  help  him  ;  the  lad  was 
sent  to  the  farm  for  some  sacks  of  plaster  left  over 
when  the  new  buildings  were  put  up,  and  Marthe 
went  with  him  to  show  him  where  the}'  were.  Michu, 
very  hungry,  made  such  haste  that  b}T  half-past  seven 
o'clock  the  work  was  done  ;  and  he  started  for  home  at 
a  quick  pace  to  stop  Gothard,  who  had  been  sent  for 
another  sack  of  plaster  which  he  thought  he  might 
want.  The  farm  was  already  watched  by  the  forester 
of  Cinq-C3*gne,  the  justice  of  peace,  his  clerk  and  four 
gendarmes  who,  however,  kept  out  of  sight  and  allowed 
him  to  enter  the  house  without  seeing  them. 

Michu  saw  Gothard  with  the  sack  on  his  shoulder 
and  called  to  him  from  a  distance  :  "  It  is  all  finished, 
my  lad  ;  take  that  back  and  stay  and  dine  with  us." 

Michu,  his  face  perspiring,  his  clothes  soiled  with 
plaster  and  covered  with  fragments  of  muddy  stone 
from  the  breach,  reached  home  joyfully  and  entered  the 
kitchen  where  Marthe  and  her  mother  were  serving  the 
soup  in  expectation  of  his  coming. 

Just  as  Michu  was  turning  the  faucet  of  the  water- 
pipe  intending  to  wash  his  hands,  the  justice  of  peace 
entered  the  house  accompanied  by  his  clerk  and  the 
forester. 

"  What  have  jtou  come  for,  Monsieur  Pigoult?" 
asked  Michu. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  225 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Emperor  and  the  laws,  I  arrest 
3*ou,"  replied  the  justice. 

The  three  gendarmes  entered  the  kitchen  leading 
Gothard.  Seeing  the  silver  lace  on  their  hats  Marthe 
and  her  mother  looked  at  each  other  in  terror. 

"Pooh!  why?"  asked  Michu,  who  sat  down  at  the 
table  and  called  to  his  wife,  "  Give  me  something  to 
eat ;  I  'in  famished." 

"  You  know  why  as  well  as  we  do,"  said  the  justice, 
making  a  sign  to  his  clerk  to  begin  the  proces-verbal 
and  exhibiting  the  warrant  of  arrest. 

"  Well,  well,  Gothard,  }'ou  need  n't  stare  so,"  said 
Michu.  "  Do  you  want  some  dinner,  3*es  or  no?  Let 
them  write  down  their  nonsense." 

"  You  admit,  of  course,  the  condition  of  your  clothes  ?  " 
said  the  justice  of  peace;  "and  you  can't  deny  the 
words  you  said  just  now  to  Gothard?" 

Michu,  supplied  with  food  by  his  wife,  who  was 
amazed  at  his  coolness,  was  eating  with  the  avidity  of 
a  hungry  man.  He  made  no  answer  to  the  justice,  for 
his  mouth  was  full  and  his  heart  innocent.  Gothard's 
appetite  was  destroyed  by  fear. 

"  Look  here,"  said  the  forester,  going  up  to  Michu 
and  whispering  in  his  ear  :  ' '  What  have  30U  done  with 
the  senator?  You  had  better  make  a  clean  breast  of 
it,  for  if  we  are  to  believe  these  people  it  is  a  matter 
of  life  or  death  to  you." 

15 


226  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Good  God  !  "  cried  Marthe,  who  overheard  the  last 
words  and  fell  into  a  chair  as  if  annihilated. 

"  Violette  must  have  played  us  some  infamous  trick," 
cried  Michu,  recollecting  what  Laurence  had  said  in  the 
forest. 

"  Ha  !  so  you  do  know  that  Violette  saw  }*ou?  "  said 
justice  of  peace. 

Michu  bit  his  lips  and  resolved  to  sa}'  no  more. 
Gothard  imitated  him.  Seeing  the  uselessness  of  all 
attempts  to  make  them  talk,  and  knowing  what  the 
neighborhood  chose  to  call  Michu's  perversity,  the  jus- 
tice ordered  the  gendarmes  to  bind  his  hands  and  those 
of  Gothard  and  take  them  both  to  the  chateau,  whither 
he  now  went  himself  to  rejoin  the  director  of  the  jury. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  227 


XIV. 

THE  ARRESTS. 

The  four  young  men  and  Laurence  were  so  hungry 
and  the  dinner  so  acceptable  that  they  would  not  delay 
it  by  changing  their  dress.  They  entered  the  salon,  she 
in  her  riding-habit,  they  in  their  white  leather  breeches, 
high-top  boots  and  green-cloth  jackets,  where  they 
found  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  and  his  wife,  not  a  little 
uneasy  at  their  long  absence.  The  goodman  had 
noticed  their  goings  and  comings,  and,  above  all,  their 
evident  distrust  of  him,  for  Laurence  had  been  unable 
to  get  rid  of  him  as  she  had  of  her  servants.  Once, 
when  his  own  sons  evidently  avoided  making  any 
reply  to  his  questions,  he  went  to  his  wife  and  said, 
"  I  am  afraid  that  Laurence  may  still  get  us  into 
trouble !  " 

"What  sort  of  game  did  }'Ou  hunt  to-day?"  said 
Madame  d'Hauteserre  to  Laurence. 

"Ah!"  replied  the  j'oung  girl,  laughing,  "you'll 
hear  some  day  what  a  strange  hunt  your  sons  have 
joined  in  to  -da}T. 

Though  said  in  jest  the  words  made  the  old  lady 
tremble.     Catherine  entered  to  announce  dinner.     Lau- 


228  An  Historical  Mystery. 

rence  took  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre's  arm,  smiling  for  a 
moment  at  the  necessity  she  thus  forced  upon  her 
cousins  to  offer  an  arm  to  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  who, 
according  to  agreement,  was  now  to  be  the  arbiter  of 
their  fate. 

The  Marquis  de  Simeuse  took  in  Madame  d'Haute- 
serre. The  situation  was  so  momentous  that  after  the 
Benedicite  was  said  Laurence  and  the  young  men  trem- 
bled from  the  violent  palpitation  of  their  hearts. 
Madame  d'Hauteserre,  who  carved,  was  struck  by  the 
anxiety  on  the  faces  of  the  Simeuse  brothers  and  the 
great  alteration  that  was  noticeable  in  Laurence's 
lamb-like  features." 

"  Something  extraordinary  is  going  on,  I  am  sure  of 
it !  "  she  exclaimed,  looking  at  all  of  them. 

"  To  whom  are  you  speaking?  "  asked  Laurence. 

"  To  all  of  you,"  said  the  old  lad}'. 

"  As  for  me,  mother/'  said  Robert,  "lam  frightfully 
hungry,  and  that  is  not  extraordinary." 

Madame  d'Hauteserre,  still  troubled,  offered  the 
Marquis  de  Simeuse  a  plate  intended  for  his  brother. 

"lam  like  your  mother,"  she  said.  "  I  don't  know 
you  apart  even  by  your  cravats.  I  thought  I*  was  help- 
ing yoxxv  brother." 

"  You  have  helped  me  better  than  you  thought  for," 
said  the  youngest,  turning  pale  ;  "  you  have  made  him 
Comte  de  Cinq-Cygne." 


An  Historical  Mystery,  229 

"  What !  do  }'OU  mean  to  tell  me  the  countess  has 
made  her  choice  ?  "  cried  Madame  d'Hauteserre. 

"  No,"  said  Laurence  ;  "we  left  the  decision  to  fate 
and  you  are  its  instrument." 

She  told  of  the  agreement  made  that  morning.  The 
elder  Simeuse,  watching  the  increasing  pallor  of  his 
brother's  face,  was  momentarily  on  the  point  of  crying 
out,  u  Marry  her;  I  will  go  away  and  die!"  Just 
then,  as  the  dessert  was  being  served,  all  present  heard 
raps  upon  the  window  of  the  dining-room  on  the  garden 
side.  The  eldest  d'Hauteserre  opened  it  and  gave 
entrance  to  the  abbe,  whose  .breeches  were  torn  in 
climbing  over  the  walls  of  the  park. 

"  Fly  !  they  are  coming  to  arrest  you,"  he  cried. 

"Why?" 

"I  don't  know  yet;  but  there's  a  warrant  against 
you." 

The  words  were  greeted  with  general  laughter. 

"  We  are  innocent,"  said  the  young  men. 

"Innocent  or  guilty,"  said  the  abbe,  "mount  your 
horses  and  make  for  the  frontier.  There  you  can  prove 
your  innocence.  You  could  overcome  a  sentence  by 
default ;  you  will  never  overcome  a  sentence  rendered 
by  popular  passion  and  instigated  by  prejudice.  Re- 
member the  words  of  President  de  Harlay,  '  If  I  were 
accused  of  carrying  off  the  towers  of  Notre-Dame  the 
first  thing  I  should  do  would  be  to  run  away.' 


230  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"To  run  away  would  be  to  admit  we  were  guilty,' 
said  the  Marquis  de  Simeuse. 

"  Don't  do  it !  "  cried  Laurence. 

"  Always  the  same  sublime  folly!"  exclaimed  the 
abbe,  in  despair.  "  If  I  had  the  power  of  God  I  would 
cany  }rou  away.  But  if  I  am  found  here  in  this  state 
the}T  will  turn  my  visit  against  3'ou,  and  against  me  too  ; 
therefore  I  leave  3'ou  by  the  way  I  came.  Consider 
my  advice ;  you  have  still  time.  The  gendarmes  have 
not  }'et  thought  of  the  wall  which  adjoins  the  parson- 
age ;  but  3Tou  are  hemmed  in  on  the  other  sides." 

The  sound  of  many  feet  and  the  jangle  of  the  sabres 
of  the  gendarmerie  echoed  through  the  courtj'ard  and 
reached  the  dining-room  a  few  moments  after  the 
departure  of  the  poor  abbe,  whose  advice  had  met  the 
same  fate  as  that  of  the  Marquis  de  Chargebceuf. 

"Our  twin  existence,"  said  the  3Tounger  Simeuse, 
speaking  to  Laurence,  "is  an  anomaly  —  our  love  for 
3'ou  is  anomalous ;  it  is  that  ver3T  quality  which  has 
won  3rour  heart.  Possibly,  the  reason  why  all  twins 
known  to  us  in  histo^  have  been  unfortunate  is  that 
the  laws  of  nature  are  subverted  in  them.  In  our  case, 
see  how  persistentty  an  evil  fate  pursues  us !  3'our 
decision  is  now  postponed." 

Laurence  was  stupefied ;  the  fatal  words  of  the 
director  of  the  jury  hummed  in  her  ears: — "In  the 
name  of  the  Emperor  and  the  laws,  I  arrest  the  Sieurs 


An  Historical  Mystery.  231 

Paul-Marie  and  Marie-Paul  Simeuse,  Adrien  and  Robert 
d'Hauteserre —  These  gentlemen,"  he  added,  address- 
ing the  men  who  accompanied  him  and  pointing  to  the 
mud  on  the  clothing  of  the  prisoners,  "  cannot  deny 
that  they  have  spent  the  greater  part  of  this  day  on 
horseback." 

"Of  what  are  they  accused?"  asked  Mademoiselle 
de  Cinq-Cygne,  haughtily. 

"Don't  }rou  mean  to  arrest  Mademoiselle?"  said 
Giguet. 

"  I  shall  leave  her  at  liberty-  under  bail,  until  I  can 
carefulty  examine  the  charges  against  her,"  replied  the 
director. 

The  ma}Tor  offered  bail,  asking  the  countess  to  merety 
give  her  word  of  honor  that  she  would  not  escape. 
Laurence  blasted  him  with  a  look  which  made  him  a 
mortal  enemy  ;  a  tear  started  from  her  e}*es,  one  of 
those  tears  of  rage  which  reveal  a  hell  of  suffering.  The 
four  gentlemen  exchanged  a  terrible  look,  but  remained 
motionless.  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre, 
dreading  lest  the  }'Oung  people  had  practised  some 
deceit,  were  in  a  state  of  indescribable  stupefaction. 
Clinging  to  their  chairs  these  unfortunate  parents,  find- 
ing their  sons  torn  from  them  after  so  many  fears  and 
their  late  hopes  of  safety,  sat  gazing  before  them  with- 
out seeing,  listening  without  hearing. 

"Must  I  ask  you  to  bail   me,  Monsieur   d'Haute- 


232  An  Historical  Mystery. 

serre?"  cried  Laurence  to  her  former  guardian,  who 
was  roused  b}T  the  cry,  clear  and  agonizing  to  his  ear  as 
the  sound  of  the  last  trumpet. 

He  tried  to  wipe  the  tears  which  sprang  to  his  eyes  ; 
he  now  understood  what  was  passing,  and  said  to  his 
3'oung  relation  in  a  quivering  voice,  "  Forgive  me,  coun- 
tess ;  you  know  that  I  am  yours,  bod}'  and  soul." 

Lechesneau,  who  at  first  was  much  struck  by  the  evi- 
dent tranquillity  in  which  the  whole  party  were  dining, 
now  returned  to  his  former  opinion  of  their  guilt  as  he 
noticed  the  stupefaction  of  the  old  people  and  the  evi- 
dent anxiety  of  Laurence,  who  was  seeking  to  discover 
the  nature  of  the  trap  which  was  set  for  them. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  politely,  "  }'OU  are  too  well- 
bred  to  make  a  useless  resistance  ;  follow  me  to  the 
stables,  where  I  must,  in  your  presence,  have  the  shoes 
of  your  horses  taken  off;  they  afford  important  proof  of 
either  guilt  or  innocence.     Come,  too,  mademoiselle." 

The  blacksmith  of  Cinq-Cygne  and  his  assistant  had 
been  summoned  b}T  Lechesneau  as  experts.  While  the 
operation  at  the  stables  was  going  on  the  justice  of 
peace  brought  in  Gothard  and  Michu.  The  work  of 
detaching  the  shoes  of  each  horse,  putting  them  together 
and  ticketing  them,  so  as  to  compare  them  with  the 
hoof-prints  in  the  park,  took  time.  Lechesneau,  noti- 
fied of  the  arrival  of  Pigoult,  left  the  prisoners  with  the 
gendarmes  and  returned  to  the  dining-room  to  dictate 


An  Historical  Mystery.  233 

the  indictment.  The  justice  of  peace  called  his  atten- 
tion to  the  condition  of  Michu's  clothes  and  related  the 
circumstances  of  his  arrest. 

"  They  must  have  killed  the  senator  and  plastered 
the  body  up  in  some  wall,"  said  Pigoult. 

"  I  begin  to  fear  it,"  answered  Lechesneau.  "Where 
did  you  cany  that  plaster?  "  he  said  to  Gothard. 

The  boy  began  to  ciy. 

"  The  law  frightens  him,"  said  Michu,  whose  e3*es 
were  darting  flames  like  those  of  a  lion  in  the  toils. 

The  servants,  who  had  been  detained  at  the  village 
by  order  of  the  mayor,  now  arrived  and  filled  the  ante- 
chamber where  Catherine  and  Gothard  were  weeping. 
To  all  the  questions  of  the  director  of  the  jury  and  the 
justice  of  peace  Gothard  replied  by  sobs ;  and  by  dint 
of  weeping  he  brought  on  a  species  of  convulsion  which 
alarmed  them  so  much  that  they  let  him  alone.  The 
little  scamp,  perceiving  that  he  was  no  longer  watched, 
looked  at  Michu  with  a  grin,  and  Michu  signified  his 
approval  by  a  glance.  Lechesneau  left  the  justice  of 
peace  and  returned  to  the  stables. 

"  Monsieur,"  said  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  at  last,  ad- 
dressing Pigoult ;  "  can  you  explain  these  arrests?  " 

"The  gentlemen  are  accused  of  abducting  the  sena- 
tor by  armed  force  and  keeping  him  a  prisoner ;  for  we 
do  not  think  the}'  have  murdered  him  —  in  spite  of 
appearances,"  replied  Pigoult. 


234  An  Historical  Mystery. 


a 


What  penalties  are  attached  to  the  crime  ?  "  asked 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre. 

"  Well,  as  the  old  law  continues  in  force,  and  the}T 
are  not  amenable  under  the  Code,  the  penalty  is  death," 
replied  the  justice. 

"Death!"  cried  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  fainting 
awa}\ 

The  abbe  now  came  in  with  his  sister,  who  stopped 
to  speak  to  Catherine  and  Madame  Durieu. 

' '  We  have  n't  even  seen  your  cursed  senator ! "  said 
Michu. 

"Madame  Marion,  Madame  Grevin,  Monsieur  Gre^ 
vin,  the  senator's  valet,  and  Violette  tell  another  tale," 
replied  Pigoult,  with  the  sour  smile  of  magisterial 
conviction. 

"  I  don't  understand  a  thing  about  it,"  said  Michu, 
dumfounded  by  this  reply,  and  beginning  now  to  believe 
that  his  masters  and  himself  were  entangled  in  some 
plot  which  had  been  laid  against  them. 

Just  then  the  party  from  the  stables  returned.  Lau- 
rence went  up  to  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  who  recovered 
her  senses  enough  to  say  :  "  The  penalty  is  death  !  " 

' '  Death  !  "  repeated  Laurence,  looking  at  the  four 
gentlemen. 

The  word  excited  a  general  terror,  of  which  Giguet, 
formerly  instructed  by  Corentin,  took  immediate  ad- 
vantage. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  235 

"  Everything  can  be  arranged,"  he  said,  drawing  the 
Marquis  de  Simeuse  into  a  corner  of  the  dining-room. 
''Perhaps  after  all  it  is  nothing  but  a  joke;  you  've 
been  a  soldier  and  soldiers  understand  each  other. 
Tell  me,  what  have  you  really  done  with  the  senator? 
If  you  have  killed  him  —  wiry,  that 's  the  end  of  it ! 
But  if  you  have  only  locked  him  up,  release  him,  for  you 
see  for  yourself  }rour  game  is  balked.  Do  this  and  I 
am  certain  the  director  of  the  jury  and  the  senator  him- 
self will  drop  the  matter." 

"  We  know  absolutely  nothing  about  it,"  said  the 
marquis. 

4 'If  3tou  take  that  tone  the  matter  is  likely  to  go  far," 
replied  the  lieutenant. 

"Dear  cousin,"  said  the  Marquis  de  Simeuse,  "  wre 
are  forced  to  go  to  prison ;  but  do  not  be  uneasy ;  we 
shall  return  in  a  few  hours,  for  there  is  some  misunder- 
standing in  all  this  which  can  be  explained." 

"  I  hope  so,  for  }Tour  sakes,  gentlemen,"  said  the 
magistrate,  signing  to  the  gendarmes  to  remove  the 
four  gentlemen,  Michu,  and  Gothard.  "  Don't  take 
them  to  Troyes ;  keep  them  in  your  guardhouse  at 
Arcis,"  he  said  to  the  lieutenant ;  "  they  must  be  present 
to-morrow,  at  daj'break,  when  we  compare  the  shoes  of 
their  horses  with  the  hoof-prints  in  the  park." 

Lechesneau  and  Pigoult  did  not  follow  until  they  had 
closely  questioned   Catherine,   Monsieur  and    Madame 


236  An  Historical  Mystery, 

d'Hauteserre,  and  Laurence.  The  Durieus,  Catherine, 
and  Marthe  declared  they  had  only  seen  their  masters 
at  breakfast-time  ;  Monsieur  d  'Hauteserre  said  he  had 
seen  them  at  three  o'clock. 

When,  at  midnight,  Laurence  found  herself  alone 
with  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  the  abbe  and 
his  sister,  and  without  the  four  }'onng  men  who  for  the 
last  eighteen  months  had  been  the  life  of  the  chateau 
and  the  love  and  joy  of  her  own  life,  she  fell  into  a 
gloomy  silence  which  no  one  present  dared  to  break. 
No  affliction  was  ever  deeper  or  more  complete  than 
hers.  At  last  a  deep  sigh  broke  the  stillness,  and  all 
eyes  turned  towards  the  sound. 

Marthe,  forgotten  in  a  corner,  rose,  exclaiming, 
"Death!  They  will  kill  them  in  spite  of  their  in- 
nocence !  " 

"  Mademoiselle,  what  is  the  matter  with  you?  "  said 
the  abbe*. 

Laurence  left  the  room  without  replying.  She  needed 
solitude  to  recover  strength  in  presence  of  this  terrible 
unforeseen  disaster. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  237 


XV. 

DOUBTS  AND  FEARS  OF  COUNSEL. 

At  a  distance  of  thirty-four  years,  during  which  three 
great  revolutions  have  taken  place,  none  but  elderly 
persons  can  recall  the  immense  excitement  produced  in 
Europe  b}-  the  abduction  of  a  senator  of  the  French 
Empire.  No  trial,  if  we  except  that  of  Trumeaux,  the 
grocer  of  the  Place  Saint-Michel,  and  that  of  the  widow 
Morin,  under  the  Empire  ;  those  of  Fualdes  and  de 
Castaing,  under  the  Restoration ;  those  of  Madame 
Lafarge  and  Fieschi,  under  the  present  government, 
ever  roused  so  much  curiosity  or  so  deep  an  interest  as 
that  of  the  four  young  men  accused  of  abducting  Malm. 
Such  an  attack  against  a  member  of  his  Senate  excited 
the  wrath  of  the  Emperor,  who  was  told  of  the  arrest  of 
the  delinquents  almost  at  the  moment  when  he  first 
heard  of  the  crime  and  the  negative  results  of  the  in- 
quiries. The  forest,  searched  throughout,  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Aube,  ransacked  from  end  to  end,  gave  not 
the  slightest  indication  of  the  passage  of  the  Comte  de 
Gondreville  nor  of  his  imprisonment.  Napoleon  sent 
for  the  chief  justice,  who,  after  obtaining  certain  infor- 
mation from  the  ministry  of  police,  explained  to  his 


238  An  Historical  Mystery, 

Majesty  the  position  of  Malin  in  regard  to  the  Simeuse 
brothers  and  the  Gondreville  estate.  The  Emperor,  at 
that  time  pre-occupied  with  serious  matters,  considered 
the  affair  explained  by  these  anterior  facts. 

"  Those  young  men  are  fools,"  he  said.  "  A  lawyer 
like  Malin  will  escape  any  deed  they  may  force  him  to 
sign  under  violence.  Watch  those  nobles,  and  discover 
the  means  they  take  to  set  the  Comte  de  Gondreville  at 
liberty." 

He  ordered  the  affair  to  be  conducted  with  the  utmost 
celerity,  regarding  it  as  an  attack  on  his  own  institu- 
tions, a  fatal  example  of  resistance  to  the  results  of  the 
Revolution,  an  effort  to  open  the  great  question  of  the 
sales  of  "  national  propertj',"  and  a  hindrance  to  that 
fusion  of  parties  which  was  the  constant  object  of  his 
home  polic}'.  Besides  all  this,  he  thought  himself 
tricked  by  these  young  nobles,  who  had  given  him  their 
promise  to  live  peaceably. 

"  Fouche's  prediction  has  come  true,"  he  cried,  re- 
membering the  words  uttered  two  }Tears  earlier  b}T  his 
present  minister  of  police,  who  said  them  under  the 
impressions  conveyed  to  him  by  Corentin's  report  as  to 
the  character  and  designs  of  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq- 
Cygne. 

It  is  impossible  for  persons  living  under  a  constitu- 
tional government,  where  no  one  really  cares  for  that  cold 
and  thankless,  blind,  deaf  Thing  called  public  interest,  to 


An  Historical  Mystery.  239 

imagine  the  zeal  which  a  mere  word  of  the  Emperor  was 
able  to  inspire  in  his  political  or  administrative  machine. 
That  powerful  will  seemed  to  impress  itself  as  much  upon 
things  as  upon  men.  His  decision  once  uttered,  the 
Emperor,  overtaken  by  the  coalition  of  1806,  forgot  the 
whole  matter.  He  thought  only  of  new  battles  to  fight, 
and  his  mind  was  occupied  in  massing  his  regiments  to 
strike  the  great  blow  at  the  heart  of  the  Prussian  mon- 
archy. His  desire  for  prompt  justice  in  the  present 
case  found  powerful  assistance  in  the  great  uncertainty 
which  affected  the  position  of  all  the  magistrates  of 
the  Empire.  Just  at  this  time  Cambaceres,  as  arch- 
chancellor,  and  Regnier,  chief  justice,  were  preparing 
to  organize  tribunanx  de  premiere  instance  (lower 
civil  courts),  imperial  courts,  and  a  court  of  appeal  or 
supreme  court.  They  were  agitating  the  question  of  a 
legal  garb  or  costume  ;  to  which  Napoleon  attached, 
and  very  justly,  so  much  importance  in  all  official  sta- 
tions ;  and  they  were  also  inquiring  into  the  character 
of  the  persons  composing  the  magistrac}\  Naturally, 
therefore,  the  officials  of  the  department  of  the  Aube 
considered  they  could  have  no  better  recommendation 
than  to  give  proofs  of  their  zeal  in  the  matter  of  the 
abduction  of  the  Comte  de  Gondreville.  Napoleon's 
suppositions  became  certainties  to  these  courtiers  and 
also  to  the  populace. 

Peace  still  reigned  on  the  continent ;  admiration  for 


/mi 


240  An  Historical  Mystery. 

the  Emperor  was  unanimous  in  France ;  he  cajoled  all 
interests,  persons,  vanities,  and  things,  in  short,  every- 
thing, even  memories.  This  attack,  therefore,  directed 
against  his  senator,  seemed  in  the  eyes  of  all  an  assault 
upon  the  public  welfare.  The  luckless  and  innocent 
gentlemen  were  the  objects  of  general  opprobrium.  A 
few  nobles  living  quietly  on  their  estates  deplored  the 
affair  among  themselves  but  dared  not  open  their  lips  ; 
in  fact,  how  was  it  possible  for  them  to  oppose  the  cur- 
rent of  public  opinion.  Throughout  the  department  the 
deaths  of  the  eleven  persons  killed  hy  the  Simeuse 
brothers  in  1792  from  the  windows  of  the  hotel  Cinq- 
Cygne  were  brought  up  against  them.  It  was  feared 
that  other  returned  and  now  emboldened  emigres  might 
follow  this  example  of  violence  against  those  who  had 
bought  their  estates  from  the  "  national  domain,"  as  a 
method  of  protesting  against  what  they  might  call  an 
unjust  spoliation. 

The  unfortunate  young  nobles  were  therefore  con- 
sidered as  robbers,  brigands,  murderers  ;  and  their  con- 
nection with  Michu  was  particularly  fatal  to  them. 
Michu,  who  was  declared,  either  he  or  his  father-in-law, 
to  have  cut  off  all  the  heads  that  fell  under  the  Terror 
in  that  department,  was  made  the  subject  of  ridiculous 
tales.  The  exasperation  of  the  public  mind  was  all  the 
more  intense  because  nearly  all  the  functionaries  of  the 
department  owed  their  offices  to  Malin.     No  generous 


An  Historical  Mystery.  241 

voice  uplifted  itself  against  the  verdict  of  the  public. 
Besides  all  this,  the  accused  had  no  legal  means  with 
which  to  combat  prejudice  ;  for  the  Code  of  Brumaire, 
year  IV.,  giving  as  it  did  both  the  prosecution  of  a 
charge  and  the  verdict  upon  it  into  the  hands  of  a  juiy, 
deprived  the  accused  of  the  vast  protection  of  an  appeal 
against  legal  suspicion. 

The  dav  after  the  arrest  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
chateau  of  Cinq-C}'gne,  both  masters  and  servants, 
were  summoned  to  appear  before  the  prosecuting  jury. 
Cinq-Cygne  was  left  in  charge  of  a  farmer,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  abbe  and  his  sister  who  moved  into 
it.  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C}Tgne,  with  Monsieur  and 
Madame  d'Hauteserre,  went  to  Troyes  and  occupied  a 
small  house  belonging  to  Durieu  in  one  of  the  long  and 
wide  faubourgs  which  lead  from  the  little  town.  Lau- 
rence's heart  was  wrung  when  she  at  last  comprehended 
the  temper  of  the  populace,  the  malignit}T  of  the  bour- 
geoisie, and  the  hostility  of  the  administration,  from  the 
many  little  events  which  happened  to  them  as  relatives 
of  prisoners  accused  of  criminal  wrong-doing  and  about 
to  be  judged  in  a  provincial  town.  Instead  of  hearing 
encouraging  or  compassionate  words  they  heard  only 
speeches  which  called  for  vengeance  ;  proofs  of  hatred 
surrounded  them  in  place  of  the  strict  politeness  or  the 
reserve  required  hy  mere  decency ;  but  above  all  they 
were  conscious  of  an  isolation  which  eveiy  mind  must 

16 


242  An  Historical  Mystery. 

feel,  but  more  particularly  those  which  are  made  dis- 
trustful by  misfortune. 

Laurence,  who  had  recovered  her  vigor  of  mind,  re- 
lied upon  the  innocence  of  the  accused,  and  despised 
the  community  too  much  to  be  frightened  by  the  stern 
and  silent  disapproval  they  met  with  ever}r  where. 
She  sustained  the  courage  of  Monsieur  and  Madame 
d'Hauteserre,  all  the  while  thinking  of  the  judicial 
struggle  which  was  now  being  hurried  on.  She  was, 
however,  to  receive  a  blow  she  little  expected,  which, 
undoubtedly,  diminished  her  courage. 

In  the  midst  of  this  great  disaster,  at  the  moment  when 
this  afflicted  family  were  made  to  feel  themselves,  as  it 
were,  in  a  desert,  a  man  suddenly  became  exalted  in 
Laurence's  eyes  and  showed  the  full  beauty  of  his  char- 
acter. The  day  after  the  indictment  was  found  by  the 
jury,  and  the  prisoners  were  finally  committed  for  trial, 
the  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf  courageously  appeared,  still 
in  the  same  old  caleche,  to  support  and  protect  his 
3'oung  cousin.  Foreseeing  the  haste  with  which  the 
law  would  be  administered,  this  chief  of  a^reat  family 
had  already  gone  to  Paris  and  secured  the  services  of 
the  most  able  as  well  as  the  most  honest  lawyer  of  the 
old  school,  named  Bordin,  who  was  for  ten  years 
counsel  of  the  nobility  in  Paris,  and  was  ultimately 
succeeded  by  the  celebrated  Derville.  This  excellent 
lawyer  chose  for  his  assistant  the  grandson  of  a  former 


An  Historical  Mystery.  243 

president  of  the  parliament  of  Normandy,  whose  studies 
had  been  made  under  his  tuition.  This  young  lawyer, 
who  was  destined  to  be  appointed  cleputy-attorne}-- 
general  in  Paris  after  the  conclusion  of  the  present 
trial,  became  eventually  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of 
French  magistrates.  Monsieur  de  Grandville,  for  that 
was  his  name,  accepted  the  defence  of  the  four  3*oung 
men,  being  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  make  his  first 
appearance  as  an  advocate  with  distinction. 

The  old  marquis,  alarmed  at  the  ravages  which 
troubles  had  wrought  in  Laurence's  appearance,  was 
charmingly  kind  and  considerate.  He  made  no  allusion 
to  his  neglected  advice ;  he  presented  Bordin  as  an 
oracle  whose  counsel  must  be  followed  to  the  letter,  and 
3'oung  de  Grandville  as  a  defender  in  whom  the  utmost 
confidence  might  be  placed. 

Laurence  held  out  her  hand  to  the  kind  old  man,  and 
pressed  his  with  an  eagerness  which  delighted  him. 

"  You  were  right,"  she  said. 

"  Will  you  now  take  m}r  advice?  "  he  asked. 

The  3Toung  countess  bowed  her  head  in  assent,  as  did 
Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre. 

"  Well,  then,  come  to  my  house  ;  it  is  in  the  middle 
of  the  town,  close  to  the  courthouse.  You  and  your 
law}Ters  will  be  better  off  there  than  here,  where  you  are 
crowded  and  too  far  from  the  field  of  battle.  Here, 
you  would  have  to  cross  the  town  twice  a  day." 


244  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Laurence  accepted,  and  the  old  man  took  her  with 
Madame  d'Hauteserre  to  his  house,  which  became  the 
home  of  the  Cinq-C3Tgne  household  and  the  lawj'ers  of 
the  defence  during  the  whole  time  the  trial  lasted. 
After  dinner,  when  the  doors  were  closed,  Bordin  made 
Laurence  relate  every  circumstance  of  the  affair,  en- 
treating her  to  omit  nothing,  not  the  most  trifling 
detail.  Though  many  of  the  facts  had  already  been  told 
to  him  and  his  young  assistant  by  the  marquis  on  their 
journey  from  Paris  to  Troyes,  Bordin  listened,  his 
feet  on  the  fender,  without  obtruding  himself  into  the 
recital.  The  young  lawyer,  however,  could  not  help 
being  divided  between  his  admiration  for  Mademoiselle 
de  Cinq-Cygne  and  the  attention  he  was  bound  to  give 
to  the  facts  of  his  case. 

"  Is  that  really  all?"  asked  Bordin  when  Laurence 
had  related  the  events  of  the  drama  just  as  the  present 
narrative  has  given  them  up  to  the  present  time. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered. 

Profound  silence  reigned  for  several  minutes  in  the 
salon  of  the  Chargebceuf  mansion  where  this  scene  took 
place,  —  one  of  the  most  important  which  occur  in  life. 
All  cases  are  judged  by  the  counsellors  engaged  in  them, 
just  as  the  death  or  life  of  a  patient  is  foreseen  b}^ 
physician,  before  the  final  struggle  which  the  one  sus- 
tains against  nature,  the  other  against  law.  Laurence, 
Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  and  the  marquis 


An  Historical  Mystery.  245 

sat  with  their  eyes  fixed  on  the  swarthy  and  deeply 
pitted  face  of  the  old  law}'er,  who  was  now  to  pro- 
nounce the  words  of  life  or  death.  Monsieur  d'Haute- 
serre  wiped  the  sweat  from  his  brow.  Laurence  looked 
at  the  younger  man  and  noted  his  saddened  face. 

"  Well,  my  dear  Bordin?"  said  the  marquis  at  last, 
holding  out  his  snuffbox,  from  which  the  old  lawyer 
took  a  pinch  in  an  absent-minded  way. 

Bordin  rubbed  the  calf  of  his  leg,  covered  with  thick 
stockings  of  black  raw  silk,  for  he  alwa}*s  wore  black 
cloth  breeches  and  a  coat  made  somewhat  in  the  shape 
of  those  which  are  now  termed  a  la  Frangaise.  He 
cast  his  shrewd  ej'es  upon  his  clients  with  an  anxious 
expression,  the  effect  of  which  was  icy. 

"Must  I  analyze  all  that?"  he  said;  "am  I  to 
speak  frankly?" 

"  Yes  ;   go  on,  monsieur,"  said  Laurence. 

"  All  that  you  have  innocently  done  can  be  converted 
into  proof  against  }'OU,"  said  the  old  lawyer.  "  We 
cannot  save  your  friends ;  we  can  only  reduce  the 
penalty.  The  sale  which  you  induced  Michu  to  make 
of  his  property  will  be  taken  as  evident  proof  of  your 
criminal  intentions  against  the  senator.  You  sent  }-our 
servants  to  Troyes  so  that  you  might  be  alone  ;  that  is 
all  the  more  plausible  because  it  is  actually  true.  The 
elder  d'Hauteserre  made  an  unfortunate  speech  to 
Beauvisage,  which  will   be   your  ruin.     You  yourself, 


246  An  Historical  Mystery. 

mademoiselle,  made  another  in  3'our  own  court}' ard, 
which  proves  that  you  have  long  shown  ill-will  to  the 
possessor  of  Gondreville.  Besides,  you  were  at  the 
gate  of  the  rond-point,  apparently  on  the  watch,  about 
the  time  when  the  abduction  took  place ;  if  they  have 
not  arrested  you,  it  is  solely  because  they  fear  to  bring 
a  sentimental  element  into  the  affair." 

"  The  case  cannot  be  successfully  defended,"  said 
Monsieur  de  Grandville. 

"  The  less  so,"  continued  Bordin,  "  because  we  can- 
not tell  the  whole  truth.  Michu  and  the  Messieurs  de 
Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre  must  hold  to  the  assertion 
that  you  merely  went  for  an  excursion  into  the  forest 
and  returned  to  Cinq-Cygne  for  luncheon.  Allowing 
that  we  can  show  you  were  in  the  house  at  three  o'clock 
(the  exact  hour  at  which  the  attack  was  made),  who  are 
our  witnesses?  Marthe,  the  wife  of  one  of  the  accused, 
the  Durieus,  and  Catherine,  3rour  own  servants,  and 
Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  father  and  mother 
of  two  of  the  accused.  Such  testimony  is  valueless  ; 
the  law  does  not  admit  it  against  you,  and  common- 
sense  rejects  it  when  given  in  your  favor.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  you  were  to  say  you  went  to  the  forest  to 
recover  eleven  hundred  thousand  francs  in  gold,  30U 
would  send  the  accused  to  the  galleys  as  robbers. 
Judge,  jur3r,  audience,  and  the  whole  of  France  would 
believe  that  you  took  that  gold  from  Gondreville,  and 


An  Historical  Mystery.  247 

abducted  the  senator  that  3*011  might  ransack  his  house. 
The  accusation  as  it  now  stands  is  not  wholly  clear, 
but  tell  the  truth  about  the  matter  and  it  would 
become  as  plain  as  day ;  the  jury  would  declare  that 
the  robbery  explained  the  mysterious  features,  —  for 
in  these  days,  you.  must  remember,  a  ro}'alist  means 
a  thief.  This  very  case  is  welcomed  as  a  legitimate 
political  vengeance.  The  prisoners  are  now  in  danger 
Df  the  death  penalty  ;  but  that  is  not  dishonoring  under 
come  circumstances.  Whereas,  if  they  can  be  proved 
to  have  stolen  money,  which  can  never  be  made  to  seem 
excusable,  you  lose  all  benefit  of  whatever  interest  ma}' 
attach  to  persons  condemned  to  death  for  other  crimes. 
If,  at  the  first,  you  had  shown  the  hiding-places  of 
the  treasure,  the  plan  of  the  forest,  the  tubes  in  which 
the  gold  was  buried,  and  the  gold  itself,  as  an  expla- 
nation of  your  day's  work,  it  is  possible  you  might 
have  been  believed  by  an  impartial  magistrate,  but 
as  it  is  we  must  be  silent.  God  grant  that  none  of 
the  prisoners  may  reveal  the  truth  and  compromise 
the  defence ;  if  they  do,  we  must  rely  on  our  cross- 
examinations  ." 

Laurence  wrung  her  hands  in  despair  and  raised  her 
eyes  to  heaven  with  a  despondent  look,  for  she  saw  at 
last  in  all  its  depths  the  gulf  into  which  her  cousins  had 
fallen.  The  marquis  and  the  3*oung  lawyer  agreed  with 
the  dreadful  view  of  Bordin.     Old  d'Hauteserre  wept. 


248  An  Historical  Mystery, 

"  Ah!  why  did  they  not  listen  to  the  Abbe  Goujet 
and  fly !  "  cried  Madame  d'Hauteserre,  exasperated. 

"  If  they  could  have  escaped,  and  you  prevented 
them,"  said  Bordin,  "  3'ou  have  killed  them  yourselves. 
Judgment  by  default  gains  time ;  time  enables  the  in- 
nocent to  clear  themselves.  This  is  the  most  mysteri- 
ous case  I  have  ever  known  in  my  life,  in  the  course 
of  which  I  have  certainly  seen  and  known  many 
strange  things." 

"It  is  inexplicable  to  every  one,  even  to  us,'* 
said  Monsieur  de  Grandville.  "If  the  prisoners  are 
innocent  some  one  else  has  committed  the  crime.  Five 
persons  do  not  come  to  a  place  as  if  by  enchantment, 
obtain  five  horses  shod  precisety  like  those  of  the  ac- 
cused, imitate  the  appearance  of  some  of  them,  and  put 
Malin  apparently  underground  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
casting  suspicion  on  Michu  and  the  four  gentlemen. 
The  unknown  guilty  parties  must  have  had  some  strong 
reason  for  wearing  the  skin,  as  it  were,  of  five  innocent 
men.  To  discover  them,  even  to  get  upon  their  traces, 
we  need  as  much  power  as  the  government  itself,  as 
many  agents  and  as  many  eyes  as  there  are  townships 
in  a  radius  of  fifty  miles." 

"  The  thing  is  impossible,"  said  Bordin.  "  There  's 
no  use  thinking  of  it.  Since  society  invented  law  it  has 
never  found  away  to  give  an  innocent  prisoner  an  equal 
chance  against  a  magistrate  who  is  pre-disposed  against 


An  Historical  Mystery.  249 

him.  Law  is  not  bilateral.  The  defence,  without  spies 
or  police,  cannot  call  social  power  to  the  rescue  of  its 
innocent  clients.  Innocence  has  nothing  on  her  side 
but  reason,  and  reasoning  which  may  strike  a  judge  is 
often  powerless  on  the  narrow  minds  of  jurymen.  The 
whole  department  is  against  you.  The  eight  jurors 
who  have  signed  the  indictment  are  each  and  all  pur- 
chasers of  national  domain.  Among  the  trial  jurors  we 
are  certain  to  have  some  who  have  either  sold  or  bought 
the  same  property.  In  short,  we  can  get  nothing  but  a 
Malin  jury.  You  must  therefore  set  up  a  consistent 
defence,  hold  fast  to  it,  and  perish  in  your  innocence. 
You  will  certainly  be  condemned.  But  there  's  a  court 
of  appeal ;  we  will  go  there  and  try  to  remain  there  as 
long  as  possible.  If  in  the  mean  time  we  can  collect 
proofs  in  3*0111*  favor  you  must  apply  for  pardon.  That 's 
the  anatomy  of  the  business,  and  my  advice.  If  we 
triumph  (for  everything  is  possible  in  law)  it  will  be  a 
miracle ;  but  your  advocate  Monsieur  de  Grandville  is 
the  most  likely  man  among  all  I  know  to  produce  that 
miracle,  and  I  '11  do  my  best  to  help  him." 

"  The  senator  has  the  key  to  the  mystery,"  said  Mon- 
sieur de  Grandville  ;  "  for  a  man  knows  his  enemies  and 
why  they  are  so.  Here  we  find  him  leaving  Paris  at  the 
close  of  the  winter,  coming  to  Gondreville  alone,  shutting 
himself  up  with  his  notary,  and  delivering  himself  over, 
as  one  might  say,  to  five  men  who  seize  him." 


250  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"Certainly,"  said  Bordin,  "  his  conduct  seems  in- 
explicable. But  how  could  we,  in  the  face  of  a  hostile 
community,  become  accusers  when  we  ourselves  are 
the  accused?  We  should  need  the  help  and  good-will 
of  the  government  and  a  thousand  times  more  proof 
than  is  wanted  in  ordinary  circumstances.  I  am  con- 
vinced there  was  premeditation,  and  subtle  premedita- 
tion, on  the  part  of  our  mysterious  adversaries,  who 
must  have  known  the  situation  of  Michu  and  the  Mes- 
sieurs de  Simeuse  towards  Mai  in.  Not  to  utter  one 
word  ;  not  to  steal  one  thing  !  —  remarkable  prudence  ! 
I  see  something  very  different  from  ordinary  evil-doers 
behind  those  masks.  But  what  would  be  the  use  of 
saying  so  to  the  sort  of  jurors  we  shall  have  to  face?" 

This  insight  into  hidden  matters  which  gives  such 
power  to  certain  law}Ters  and  certain  magistrates  aston- 
ished and  confounded  Laurence  ;  her  heart  was  wrung 
by  that  inexorable  logic. 

"Out  of  every  hundred  criminal  cases,"  continued 
Bordin,  "  there  are  not  ten  where  the  law  really  lays  bare 
the  truth  to  its  full  extent ;  and  there  is  perhaps  a  good 
third  in  which  the  truth  is  never  brought  to  light  at  all. 
Yours  is  one  of  those  cases  which  are  inexplicable  to 
all  parties,  to  accused  and  accusers,  to  the  law  and  to 
the  public.  As  for  the  Emperor,  he  has  other  fish  to  fry 
than  to  consider  the  case  of  these  gentlemen,  suppos- 
ing even  that  they  had  not  conspired  against  him.     But 


An  Historical  Mystery.  251 

who  the  devil  is  Malin's  enemy?  and  what  has  really 
been  done  with  him  ?  " 

Bordin  and  Monsieur  de  Grandville  looked  at  each 
other  ;  they  seemed  in  doubt  as  to  Laurence's  veracity. 
This  evident  suspicion  was  the  most  cutting  of  all  the 
many  pangs  the  girl  had  suffered  in  the  affair ;  and  she 
turned  upon  the  lawyers  a  look  which  effectually  put  an 
end  to  their  distrust. 

The  next  day  the  indictment  was  handed  over  to  the 
defence,  and  the  law3*ers  were  then  enabled  to  communi- 
cate with  the  prisoners.  Bordin  informed  the  family 
that  the  six  accused  men  were  "well  supported,"  — 
using  a  professional  term. 

"  Monsieur  de  Grandville  will  defend  Michu,"  said 
Bordin. 

"  Michu !  "  exclaimed  the  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf, 
amazed  at  the  change. 

"He  is  the  pivot  of  the  affair  —  the  danger  lies 
there,"  replied  the  old  lawyer. 

"If  he  is  more  in  danger  than  the  others,  I  think 
that  is  just,"   cried  Laurence. 

"  We  see  certain  chances,"  said  Monsieur  de  Grand- 
ville, "and  we  shall  stud}T  them  carefullv.  If  we  are 
able  to  save  these  gentlemen  it  will  be  because  Monsieur 
d'Hauteserre  ordered  Michu  to  repair  one  of  the  stone 
posts  in  the  covered  wa}T,  and  also  because  a  wolf  has 
been  seen  in  the  forest ;  in  a  criminal  court  everything 


252  An  Historical  Mystery. 

depends  on  discussions,  and  discussions  often  turn 
on  trivial  matters  which  then  become  of  immense  im- 
portance." 

Laurence  sank  into  that  inward  dejection  which 
humiliates  the  soul  of  all  thoughtful  and  energetic  per- 
sons when  the  uselessness  of  thought  and  action  is 
made  manifest  to  them.  It  was  no  longer  a  matter  of 
overthrowing  a  usurper,  or  of  coming  to  the  help  of 
devoted  friends, — fanatical  sympathies  wrapped  in  a 
shroud  of  mystery.  She  now  saw  all  social  forces  full- 
armed  against  her  cousins  and  herself.  There  was  no 
taking  a  prison  by  assault  with  her  own  hands,  no 
deliverance  of  prisoners  from  the  midst  of  a  hostile  pop- 
ulation and  beneath  the  e}Tes  of  a  watchful  police.  So, 
when  the  young  lawyer,  alarmed  at  the  stupor  of  the 
generous  and  noble  girl,  which  the  natural  expression 
of  her  face  made  still  more  noticeable,  endeavored  to 
revive  her  courage,  she  turned  to  him  and  said:  "I 
must  be  silent ;  I  suffer,  —  I  wait." 

The  accent,  gesture,  and  look  with  which  the  words 
were  said  made  this  answer  one  of  those  sublime  things 
which  only  need  a  wider  stage  to  make  them  famous. 

A  few  moments  later  old  d'Hauteserre  was  saying  to 
the  Marquis  de  Chargebceuf :  "  What  efforts  I  have 
made  for  my  two  unfortunate  sons  !  I  have  already 
laid  by  in  the  Funds  enough  to  give  them  eight  thou- 
sand francs  a  year.     If  they  had  only  been  willing  to 


An  Historical  Mystery.  253 

serve  in  the  army  they  would  have  reached  the  higher 
grades  by  this  time,  and  could  now  have  married  to 
advantage.  Instead  of  that,  all  m}'  plans  are  scattered 
to  the  winds  ! " 

"  How  can  %you,"  said  his  wife,  "  think  of  their  in- 
terests when  it  is  a  question  of  their  honor  and  their 
lives?" 

"  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  thinks  of  everything,"  said 
the   marquis. 


254  An  Historical  Mystery. 


XYI. 

MARTHE  INVEIGLED. 

While  the  masters  of  Cinq-Cj-gne  were  waiting  at 
Troyes  for  the  opening  of  the  trial  before  the  Criminal 
court  and  vainly  soliciting  permission  to  see  the  pris- 
oners, an  event  of  the  utmost  importance  had  taken 
place  at  the  chateau. 

Marthe  returned  to  Cinq-Cygne  as  soon  as  she  had 
given  her  testimony  before  the  indicting  jury.  This 
testimony  was  so  insignificant  that  it  was  not  thought 
necessaiy  to  summon  her  before  the  Criminal  court. 
Like  all  persons  of  extreme  sensibility,  the  poor  woman 
sat  silent  in  the  salon,  where  she  kept  compan}^  with 
Mademoiselle  Goujet,  in  a  pitiable  state  of  stupefaction. 
To  her,  as  to  the  abbe,  and  indeed  to  all  others  who  did 
not  know  how  the  accused  had  been  emploj'ed  on  that 
dajT,  their  innocence  seemed  doubtful.  There  were 
moments  when  Marthe  believed  that  Michu  and  his 
masters  and  Laurence  had  executed  vengeance  on  the 
senator.  The  unhappy  woman  now  knew  Michu's  devo- 
tion well  enough  to  be  certain  that  he  was  the  one  who 
would  be  most  in  danger,  not  only  because  of  his  ante- 
cedents, but  because  of  the  part  he  was  sure  to  have 
taken  in  the  execution  of  the  scheme. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  255 

The  Abbe  Goujet  and  his  sister  and  Marthe  were 
bewildered  among  the  possibilities  to  whieh  this  opinion 
gave  rise  ;  and  yet,  in  the  process  of  thinking  them 
over,  their  minds  insensibly  took  hold  of  them  in  a 
certain  way.  The  absolute  doubt  which  Descartes 
demands  can  no  more  exist  in  the  brain  of  a  man  than 
a  vacuum  can  exist  in  nature,  and  the  mental  operation 
required  to  produce  it  would,  like  the  effect  of  a  pneu- 
matic machine,  be  exceptional  and  anomalous.  What- 
ever a  case  may  be,  the  mind  believes  in  something. 
Now  Marthe  was  so  afraid  that  the  accused  were  guilt}7 
that  her  fear  became  equivalent  to  belief;  and  this  con- 
dition of  her  mind  proved  fatal  to  her. 

Five  days  after  the  arrests,  just  as  she  was  in  the  act 
of  going  to  bed  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  she  was 
called  from  the  courtyard  by  her  mother,  who  had  come 
from  the  farm  on  foot. 

"A  laboring  man  from  Tro}*es  wants  to  speak  to 
3rou  ;  he  is  sent  by  Michu,  and  is  waiting  in  the  covered 
wa}',"  she  said  to  Marthe. 

They  passed  through  the  breach  so  as  to  take  the 
shortest  path.  In  the  darkness  it  was  impossible  for 
Marthe  to  distinguish  anything  more  than  the  form  of 
a  person  which  loomed  through  the  shadows. 

"  Speak,  madame ;  so  that  I  may  be  certain  3*011  are 
really  Madame  Michu,"  said  the  person,  in  a  rather 
anxious  voice. 


256  An  Historical  Mystery, 

"  I  am  Madame  Michu,"  said  Marthe  ;  "  what  do  you 
want  of  me  ?  " 

44  Very  good,"  said  the  unknown,  "give  me  30111* 
hand ;  do  not  fear  me.  I  come,"  he  added,  leaning 
towards  her  and  speaking  low,  "  from  Michu  with  a 
note  for  }tou.  I  am  employed  at  the  prison,  and  if  m}* 
superiors  discover  nrv  absence  we  shall  all  be  lost. 
Trust  me  ;  your  good  father  placed  me  where  I  am. 
For  that  reason  Michu  counted  on  my  helping  him." 

He  put  a  letter  into  Marthe's  hand  and  disappeared 
toward  the  forest  without  waiting  for  an  answer. 
Marthe  trembled  at  the  thought  that  she  was  now  to 
hear  the  secret  of  the  m3Tstery.  She  ran  to  the  farm 
with  her  mother  and  shut  herself  up  to  read  the  follow- 
ing letter :  — 

My  dear  Marthe, — You  can  rely  on  the  discretion  of 
the  man  who  will  give  you  this  letter  ;  he  does  not  know  how 
to  read  or  to  write  He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  shared  in 
Baboeuf's  conspiracy;  your  father  often  made  use  of  him,  and 
he  regards  the  senator  as  a  traitor.  Now,  my  dear  wife,  at- 
tend to  my  directions.  The  senator  has  been  shut  up  by  us 
in  the  cave  where  our  masters  were  hidden.  -  The  poor  creat- 
ure had  provisions  for  only  five  days,  and  as  it  is  our  interest 
that  he  should  live,  I  wish  you,  as  soon  as  you  receive  this 
letter,  to  take  him  food  for  at  least  five  days  more.  The  for- 
est is  of  course  watched ;  therefore  take  as  many  precautions 
as  we  formerly  did  for  our  young  masters.  Don't  say  a  word 
to  Malin  ;  don't  speak  to  him  ;  and  put  on  one  of  our  masks 
which  you  will  find  on  the  steps  which  lead  down  to  the 


An  Historical  Mystery.  257 

cave.  Unless  you  wish  to  compromise  our  heads  you  must 
be  absolutely  silent  about  this  letter  and  the  secret  I  have 
now  confided  to  you.  Don't  say  a  word  to  Mademoiselle  de 
Cinq-Cygne,  who  might  tell  of  it.  Don't  fear  for  me.  We 
are  certain  that  the  matter  will  turn  out  well;  when  the 
time  comes  Malm  himself  wiil  save  us.  I  don't^need  to  tell 
you  to  burn  this  letter  as  soon  as  you  have  read  it,  for  it 
would  cost  me  my  head  if  a  line  of  it  were  seen.  I  kiss  you 
for  now  and  always, 

Michu. 

The  existence  of  the  cave  was  known  only  to  Marthe, 
her  son,  Michu,  the  four  gentlemen,  and  Laurence ;  or 
rather,  Marthe,  to  whom  her  husband  had  not  related 
the  incident  of  his  meeting  with  Peyrade  and  Corentin, 
believed  it  was  known  only  to  them.  Had  she  con- 
sulted her  mistress  and  the  two  lawyers,  who  knew  the 
innocence  of  the  prisoners,  the  shrewd  Bordin  would 
have  gained  some  light  upon  the  perfidious  trap  which 
was  evidently  laid  for  his  clients.  But  Marthe,  acting 
like  most  women  under  a  first  impulse,  was  convinced 
by  this  proof  which  came  to  her  own  e3*es,  and  flung  the 
letter  into  the  fire  as  directed.  Nevertheless,  moved 
\>y  a  singular  gleam  of  caution,  she  caught  a  portion  of 
it  from  the  flames,  tore  off  the  five  first  lines,  which 
compromised  no  one,  and  sewed  them  into  the  hem  of 
her  dress.  Terrified  at  the  thought  that  the  prisoner 
had  been  without  food  for  twenty-four  hours,  she  resolved 
to  carry  bread,  meat,  and  wine  to  him  at  once  ;  curiosity 

17 


258  An  Historical  Mystery. 

as  well  as  humanity  permitting  no  delay.  Accordingly, 
she  heated  her  oven  and  made,  with  her  mother's  help, 
a  pati  of  hare  and  ducks,  a  rice  cake,  roasted  two 
fowls,  selected  three  bottles  of  wine,  and  baked  two 
loaves  of  bread.  About  two  in  the  morning  she  started 
for  the  forest,  carrying  the  load  on  her  back,  accom- 
panied by  Couraut,  who  in  all  such  expeditions  showed 
wonderful  sagacit}?-  as  a  guide.  He  scented  strangers 
at  immense  distances,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  certain  of 
their  presence  he  returned  to  his  mistress  with  a  low 
growl,  looking  at  her  fixedly  and  turning  his  muzzle  in 
the  direction  of  the  danger. 

Marthe  reached  the  pond  about  three  in  the  morning, 
and  left  the  doo;  as  sentinel  on  the  bank.  After  half  an 
hour's  labor  in  clearing  the  entrance  she  came  with  a 
dark  lantern  to  the  door  of  the  cave,  her  face  covered 
with  a  mask,  which  she  had  found,  as  directed,  on  the 
steps.  The  imprisonment  of  the  senator  seemed  to 
have  been  long  premeditated.  A  hole  about  a  foot 
square,  which  Marthe  had  never  seen  before,  was 
roughly  cut  in  the  upper  part  of  the  iron  door  which 
closed  the  cave  ;  but  in  order  to  prevent  Malin  from 
using  the  time  and  patience  all  prisoners  have  at  their 
command  in  loosening  the  iron  bar  which  held  the  door, 
it  was  securely  fastened  with  a  padlock. 

The  senator,  who  had  risen  from  his  bed  of  moss, 
sighed  when  he  saw  the  masked  face  and  felt  that  there 


An  Historical  Mystery.  259 

was  no  chance  then  of  his  deliverance.  He  examined 
Marthe,  as  much  as  he  could  by  the  unsteady  light  of 
her  dark  lantern,  and  he  recognized  her  by  her  clothes, 
her  stoutness,  and  her  motions.  When  she  passed  the 
pate  through  the  door  he  dropped  it  to  seize  her  hand 
and  then,  with  great  swiftness,  he  tried  to  pull  the  rings 
from  her  fingers,  —  one  her  wedding-ring,  the  other  a 
gift  from  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne. 

"  You  cannot  den}r  that  it  is  }'ou,  my  dear  Madame 
Michu,"  he  said. 

Marthe  closed  her  fist  the  moment  she  felt  his  fingers, 
and  gave  him  a  vigorous  blow  in  the  chest.  Then, 
without  a  word,  she  turned  awa}*  and  cut  a  stick,  at  the 
end  of  which  she  held  out  to  the  senator  the  rest  of  the 
provisions. 

"  What  do  they  want  of  me?  "  he  asked. 

Marthe  departed  giving  him  no  answer.  By  five 
o'clock  she  had  reached  the  edge  of  the  forest  and  was 
warned  b}T  Couraut  of  the  presence  of  strangers.  Sh& 
retraced  her  steps  and  made  for  the  pavilion  where  she 
had  lived  so  long ;  but  just  as  she  entered  the  avenue 
she  was  seen  from  afar  by  the  forester  of  Gondreville, 
and  she  quickly  reflected  that  her  best  plan  was  to  go 
straight  up  to  him. 

"You  are  out  earl}r,  Madame  Michu,"  he  said, 
accosting  her. 

"  We  are  so  unfortunate,"  she  replied,  "  that  I  am 


260  An  Historical  Mystery. 

obliged  to  do  a  servant's  work  mj-self.  I  am  going 
to  Bellache  for  some  grain." 

"  Have  n't  }Tou  any  at  Cinq-Cygne?  "  said  the 
forester. 

Marthe  made  no  answer.  She  continued  on  her  way 
and  reached  the  farm  at  Bellache,  where  she  asked 
Beauvisage  to  give  her  some  seed-grain,  saying  that 
Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  advised  her  to  get  it  from  him 
to  renew  her  crop.  As  soon  as  Marthe  had  left  the 
farm,  the  forester  went  there  to  find  out  what  she  asked 
for. 

Six  days  later,  Marthe,  determined  to  be  prudent, 
went  at  midnight  with  her  provisions  so  as  to  avoid  the 
keepers  who  were  evidently  patrolling  the  forest.  After 
carrying  a  third  supply  to  the  senator  she  suddenly 
became  terrified  on  hearing  the  abbe  read  aloud  the 
public  examination  of  the  prisoners,  —  for  the  trial  was 
by  that  time  begun.  She  took  the  abbe  aside,  and  after 
obliging  him  to  swear  that  he  would  keep  the  secret  she 
was  about  to  reveal  as  though  it  was  said  to  him  in  the 
confessional,  she  showed  him  the  fragments  of  Michu's 
letter,  told  him  the  contents  of  it,  and  also  the  secret  of 
the  hiding-place  where  the  senator  then  was. 

The  abbe  at  once  inquired  if  she  had  other  letters 
from  her  husband  that  he  might  compare  the  writing. 
Marthe  went  to  her  home  to  fetch  them  and  there  found 
a  summons  to  appear  in  court.      B}T  the  time  she  re- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  261 

turned  to  the  chateau  the  abbe  and  his  sister  had 
received  a  similar  summons  on  behalf  of  the  defence. 
The}'  were  obliged  therefore  to  start  for  Troves  immedi- 
ately. Thus  all  the  personages  of  our  drama,  even  those 
who  were  onl}T,  as  it  were,  supernumeraries,  were  col- 
lected on  the  spot  where  the  fate  of  the  two  families 
was  about  to  be  decided. 


262  An  Historical  Mystery. 


XVII. 

THE   TRIAL. 

There  are  but  few  localities  in  France  where  Law 
derives  from  outward  appearance  the  dignity  which 
ought  always  to  accompauy  it.  Yet  it  surely  is,  after 
religion  and  royalty,  the  greatest  engine  of  societ}\ 
Everywhere,  even  in  Paris,  the  meanness  of  its  sur- 
roundings, the  wretched  arrangement  of  the  court- 
rooms, their  barrenness  and  wrant  of  decoration  in  the 
most  ornate  and  showy  nation  upon  earth  in  the  matter 
of  its  public  monuments,  lessens  the  action  of  the  law's 
mighty  power.  At  the  farther  end  of  some  oblong 
room  ma}-  be  seen  a  desk  with  a  green  baize  covering 
raised  on  a  platform  ;  behind  it  sit  the  judges  on  the 
commonest  of  arm-chairs.  To  thus  left,  is  the  seat  of  the 
public  prosecutor,  and  beside  him,  close  to  the  wall,  is 
a  long  pen  filled  with  chairs  for  the  juiy.  Opposite  to 
the  jury  is  another  pen  with  a  bench  for  the  prisoners 
and  the  gendarmes  who  guard  them.  The  clerk  of  the 
court  sits  below  the  platform  at  a  table  covered  with 
the  papers  of  the  case.  Before  the  imperial  changes 
in  the  administration  of  justice  were  instituted,  a  com- 
missary of  the  government  and  the  director  of  the  jury 


An  Historical  Mystery.  263 

each  had  a  seat  and  a  table,  one  to  the  right,  the  other  to 
the  left  of  the  baize-covered  desk.  Two  sheriffs  hovered 
about  in  the  space  left  in  front  of  the  desk  for  the  station 
of  witnesses.  Facing  the  judges  and  against  the  wall 
above  the  entrance,  there  is  always  a  shabby  gallery 
reserved  for  officials  and  for  women,  to  which  admit- 
tance is  granted  only  b}'  the  president  of  the  court, 
to  whom  the  proper  management  of  the  courtroom 
belongs.  The  non-privileged  public  are  compelled  to 
stand  in  the  empt}r  space  between  the  door  of  the  hall 
and  the  bar.  This  normal  appearance  of  all  French 
law  courts  and  assize-rooms  was  that  of  the  Criminal 
court  of  Troves. 

In  April,  1806,  neither  the  four  judges  nor  the  presi- 
dent (or  chief-justice)  who  made  up  the  court,  nor  the 
public  prosecutor,  the  director  of  the  jury,  the  commis- 
sar}T  of  the  government,  nor  the  sheriffs  or  lawyers,  in 
fact  no  one  except  the  gendarmes,  wore  an}r  robes  or 
other  distinctive  sign  which  might  have  relieved  the 
nakedness  of  the  surroundings  and  the  somewhat  mea- 
gre aspect  of  the  figures.  The  crucifix  was  suppressed  ; 
its  example  was  no  longer  held  up  before  the  eyes  of 
justice  and  of  guilt.  All  was  dull  and  vulgar.  The 
paraphernalia  so  necessary  to  excite  social  interest  is 
perhaps  a  consolation  to  criminals.  On  this  occasion 
the  eagerness  of  the  public  was  what  it  ever  has  been 
and  ever  will  be  in  trials  of  this  kind,  so  long  as  France 


264  An  Historical  Mystery. 

refuses  to  recognize  that  the  admission  of  the  public  to 
the  courts  involves  publicity,  and  that  the  publicity 
given  to  trials  is  a  terrible  penahty  which  would  never 
have  been  inflicted  had  legislators  reflected  on  it. 
Customs  are  often  more  cruel  than  laws.  Customs  are 
the  deeds  of  men,  but  laws  are  the  judgment  of  a  na- 
tion. Customs  in  which  there  is  often  no  judgment  are 
stronger  than  laws. 

Crowds  surrounded  the  courtroom ;  the  president 
was  obliged  to  station  squads  of  soldiers  to  guard  the 
doors.  The  audience,  standing  below  the  bar,  was  so 
crowded  that  persons  suffocated.  Monsieur  de  Grand- 
ville,  defending  Micbu,  Bordin,  defending  the  Simeuse 
brothers,  and  a  lawyer  of  Troyes  who  appeared  for  the 
d'Hauteserres,  were  in  their  seats  before  the  opening 
of  the  court ;  their  faces  wore  a  look  of  confidence. 
When  the  prisoners  were  brought  in,  sympathetic 
murmurs  were  heard  at  the  appearance  of  the  }Toung 
men,  whose  faces,  in  twenty  days'  imprisonment  and 
anxiety,  had  somewhat  paled.  The  perfect  likeness  of 
the  twins  excited  the  deepest  interest.  Perhaps  the 
spectators  thought  that  Nature  would  exercise  some 
special  protection  in  the  case  of  her  own  anomalies, 
and  felt  ready  to  join  in  repairing  the  harm  done  to 
them  b}^  destiny.  Their  noble,  simple  faces,  showing 
no  signs  of  shame,  still  less  of  bravado,  touched  the 
women's   hearts.      The   four   gentlemen  and   Gothard 


An  Historical  Mystery.  265 

wore  the  clothes  in  which  they  had  been  arrested  ;  but 
Michu,  whose  coat  and  trousers  were  among  the  "  arti- 
cles of  testimony,"  so-called,  had  put  on  his  best 
clothes,  —  a  blue  surtout,  a  brown  velvet  waistcoat  a  la 
Robespierre,  and  a  white  cravat.  The  poor  man  paid 
the  penalty  of  his  dangerous-looking  face.  When  he 
cast  a  glance  of  his  yellow  eye,  so  clear  and  so  pro- 
found upon  the  audience,  a  murmur  of  repulsion  an- 
swered it.  The  assembly  chose  to  see  the  finger  of 
God  bringing  him  to  the  dock  where  his  father-in-law 
had  sacrificed  so  many  victims.  This  man,  truly  great, 
looked  at  his  masters,  repressing  a  smile  of  scorn.  He 
seemed  to  say  to  them,  "I  am  injuring  }Tour  cause." 
Five  of  the  prisoners  exchanged  greetings  with  their 
counsel.     Gothard  still  pla}-ed  the  part  of  an  idiot. 

After  several  challenges,  made  with  much  sagacity 
by  the  law}Ters  of  the  defence  under  advice  of  the  Mar- 
quis de  Chargebceuf,  who  boldly  took  a  seat  beside 
Bordin  and  de  Grandville,  the  jury  were  empanelled, 
the  indictment  was  read,  and  the  prisoners  were  brought 
up  separately  to  be  examined.  They  answered  every 
question  with  remarkable  unanimity.  After  riding 
about  the  forest  all  the  morning,  they  had  returned  to 
Cinq-Cygne  for  breakfast  at  one  o'clock.  After  that 
meal,  from  three  to  half-past  five  in  the  afternoon,  the}r 
had  returned  to  the  forest.  That  was  the  basis  of  each 
testimony  ;  any  variations  were  merely  individual  cir- 


266  An  Historical  Mystery. 

cumstances.  When  the  president  asked  the  Messieurs 
de  Sinieuse  why  they  had  ridden  out  so  earty,  the}r  both 
declared  that  wishing,  since  their  return,  to  buy  back 
Gondreville  and  intending  to  make  an  offer  to  Malin 
who  had  arrived  the  night  before,  the}'  had  gone  out 
earl}'  with  their  cousin  and  Michu  to  make  certain 
examinations  of  the  property  on  which  to  base  their 
offer.  During  that  time  the  Messieurs  d'Hauteserre, 
their  cousin,  and  Gothard  had  chased  a  wolf  which  was 
reported  in  the  forest  by  the  peasantry.  If  the  director 
of  the  jury  had  sought  for  the  prints  of  their  horses' 
feet  in  the  forest  as  carefully  as  in  the  park  of  Gondre- 
ville, he  would  have  found  proof  of  their  presence  at 
long  distances  from  the  house. 

The  examination  of  the  Messieurs  d'Hauteserre  cor- 
roborated this  testimonv,  and  was  in  harmony  with  their 
preliminary  depositions.  The  necessity  of  some  reason 
for  their  ride  suggested  to  each  of  them  the  excuse  of 
hunting.  The  peasants  had  given  warning,  a  few  days 
earlier,  of  a  wolf  in  the  forest,  and  on  that  thej'  had 
fastened  as  a  pretext. 

The  public  prosecutor,  however,  pointed  out  a  dis- 
crepanc}'  between  the  first  statements  of  the  Messieurs 
d'Hauteserre,  in  which  the}T  mentioned  that  the  whole 
party  hunted  together,  and  the  defence  now  made  by 
the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse  that  their  purpose  on  that 
day  was  the  valuation  of  the  forest. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  267 

Monsieur  de  Grandville  here  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  as  the  crime  was  not  committed  until  after 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  prosecution  had  no 
ground  to  question  their  word  when  they  stated  the 
manner  in  which  the}'  employed  their  morning. 

The  prosecutor  replied  that  the  prisoners  had  an  in- 
terest in  concealing  their  preparations  for  the  abduction 
of  the  senator. 

The  remarkable  ability  of  the  defence  was  now 
felt.  Judges,  jurors,  and  audience  became  aware 
that  victory  would  be  hotly  contested.  Bordin  and 
Monsieur  de  Grandville  had  studied  their  ground  and 
foreseen  everything.  Innocence  is  required  to  render 
a  clear  and  plausible  account  of  its  actions.  The  duty 
of  the  defence  is  to  present  a  consistent  and  probable 
tale  in  opposition  to  an  insufficient  and  improbable 
accusation.  To  counsel  who  regard  their  client  as 
innocent,  an  accusation  is  false.  The  public  examina- 
tion of  the  four  gentlemen  sufficiently  explained  the 
matter  in  their  favor.  So  far  all  was  well.  But  the 
examination  of  Michu  was  more  serious  ;  there  the  real 
struggle  began.  It  was  now  clear  to  eveiy  one  why 
Monsieur  de  Grandville  had  preferred  to  take  charge  of 
the  servant's  defence  rather  than  that  of  his  masters. 

Michu  admitted  his  threats  against  Marion  ;  but  de- 
nied that  he  had  made  them  violently.     As  for  the  am- 

*/ 

bush  in  which  he  was  supposed  to  have  watched  for  his 


268  An  Historical  Mystery. 

enemy,  he  said  he  was  merely  making  his  rounds  in  the 
park  ;  the  senator  and  Monsieur  Grevin  might  perhaps 
have  been  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  his  gun  and  have 
thought  his  intentions  hostile  when  they  were  really 
inoffensive.  He  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  the 
dusk  a  man  who  was  not  in  the  habit  of  hunting  might 
easily  fancy  a  gun  was  pointed  at  him,  whereas,  in 
point  of  fact,  it  was  held  in  his  hand  at  half-cock.  To 
explain  the  condition  of  his  clothes  when  arrested,  he 
said  he  had  slipped  and  fallen  in  the  breach  on  his  way 
home.  "  I  could  scarcely  see  my  way,"  he  said,  "  and 
the  loose  stones  slipped  from  under  me  as  I  climbed 
the  bank."  As  for  the  plaster  which  Gothard  was 
bringing  him,  he  replied  as  he  had  done  in  all  previous 
examinations,  that  he  wanted  it  to  secure  one  of  the 
stone  posts  of  the  covered  wa}r. 

The  public  prosecutor  and  the  president  asked  him 
to  explain  how  he  could  have  been  at  the  top  of  the 
covered  way  engaged  in  mending  a  stone  post  and  at 
the  same  time  in  the  breach  of  the  moat  leading  to  the 
chateau ;  more  especially  as  the  justice  of  peace,  the 
gendarmes  and  the  forester  all  declared  they  had  heard 
him  approach  them  from  the  lower  road.  To  this 
Michu  replied  that  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  had  blamed 
him  for  not  having  mended  the  post,  —  which  he  was 
anxious  to  have  finished  because  there  were  difficulties 
about  that  road  with  the  township,  —  and  he  had  there- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  269 

fore  gone   up  to  the  chateau  to  report  that  the  work 
was  done. 

Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  had,  in  fact,  put  up  a 
fence  above  the  covered  way  to  prevent  the  township 
from  taking  possession  of  it.  Michu  seeing  the  im- 
portant part  which  the  state  of  his  clothes  was  likely  to 
play,  invented  this  subterfuge.  If,  in  law,  truth  is 
often  like  falsehood,  falsehood  on  the  other  hand  has 
a  very  great  resemblance  to  truth.  The  defence  and 
the  prosecution  both  attached  much  importance  to  this 
testimony,  which  became  one  of  the  leading  points  of 
the  trial  on  account  of  the  vigor  of  the  defence  and 
the  suspicions  of  the  prosecution. 

Gothard,  instructed  no  doubt  by  Monsieur  de  Grand • 
ville,  for  up  to  that  time  he  had  only  wept  when  they 
questioned  him,  admitted  that  Michu  had  told  him  to 
carry  the  plaster. 

"  Why  did  neither  you  nor  Gothard  take  the  justice 
of  peace  and  the  forester  to  the  stone  post  and  show 
them  your  work?"  said  the  public  prosecutor,  address- 
ing Michu. 

"  Because,"  replied  the  man,  "  T  did  n't  believe  there 
was  any  serious  accusation  against  us." 

All  the  prisoners  except  Gothard  were  now  removed 
from  the  courtroom.  When  Gothard  was  left  alone 
the  president  adjured  him  to  speak  the  truth  for  his 
own  sake,  pointing  out  that  his  pretended  idiocy  had 


270  An  Historical  Mystery. 

come  to  an  end  ;  none  of  the  jurors  believed  him  imbe- 
cile ;  if  he  refused  to  answer  the  court  he  ran  the  risk 
of  serious  penalty  ;  whereas  b}7  telling  the  truth  at  once 
he  would  probably  be  released.  Gothard  wept,  hesi- 
tated, and  finally  ended  by  saying  that  Michu  had  told 
him  to  carry  several  sacks  of  plaster  ;  but  that  each 
time  he  had  met  him  near  the  farm.  He  was  asked 
how  many  sacks  he  had  carried. 

' '  Three,"  he  replied. 

An  argument  hereupon  ensued  as  to  whether  the  three 
sacks  included  the  one  which  Gothard  was  canying  at 
the  time  of  the  arrest  (which  reduced  the  number  of  the 
other  sacks  to  two)  or  whether  there  were  three  without 
the  last.  The  debate  ended  in  favor  of  the  first  pro- 
position, the  jury  considering  that  only  two  sacks  had 
been  used.  They  appeared  to  have  a  foregone  convic- 
tion on  that  point,  but  Bordin  and  Monsieur  de  Grand- 
ville  judged  it  best  to  surfeit  them  with  plaster,  and 
weary  them  so  thoroughly  with  the  argument  that  they 
would  no  longer  comprehend  the  question.  Monsieur 
de  Grandville  made  it  appear  that  experts  ought  to 
have  been  sent  to  examine  the  stone  posts. 

"  The  director  of  the  jury,"  he  said,  "  has  contented 
himself  with  merely  visiting  the  place,  less  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  a  careful  examination  than  to  trap 
Michu  in  a  lie;  this,  in  our  opinion,  was  a  failure  of 
dut}',  but  the  blunder  is  to  our  advantage." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  271 

On  this  the  Court  appointed  experts  to  examine  the 
posts  and  see  if  one  of  them  had  been  really  mended 
and  reset.  The  public  prosecutor,  on  his  side,  endeav- 
ored to  make  capital  of  the  affair  before  the  experts 
could  testify. 

You  "  seem  to  have  chosen,"  he  said  to  Michu,  who 
was  now  brought  back  in  the  courtroom,  "  an  hour 
when  the  daylight  was  waning,  from  half-past  five  to 
half-past  six  o'clock,  to  mend  this  post  and  to  cement 
it  all  alone." 

"  Monsieur  d'Hauteserre  had  blamed  me  for  not 
doing  it,"  replied  Michu. 

"  But,"  said  the  prosecutor,  "  if  3'ou  used  that  plas- 
ter on  the  post  you  must  have  had  a  trough  and  a 
trowel.  Now,  if  you  went  to  the  chateau  to  tell  Mon- 
sieur d'Hauteserre  that  vou  had  done  the  work,  how 
do  you  explain  the  fact  that  Gothard  was  bringing 
you  more  plaster.  You  must  have  passed  3'our  farm 
on  your  wa}T  to  the  chateau,  and  3011  would  naturally 
have  left  3'our  tools  at  home  and  stopped  Gothard." 

This  overwhelming  argument  produced  a  painful 
silence  in  the  courtroom. 

"  Come,"  said  the  prosecutor,  "  you  had  better  admit 
at  once  that  what  3'ou  buried  was  not  a  stone  post." 

"Do  3'ou  think  it  was  the  senator?"  said  Michu, 
sarcastically. 

Monsieur  de  Grandville  hereupon  demanded  that  the 


272  An  Historical  Mystery, 

public  prosecutor  should  explain  his  meaning.  Michu 
was  accused  of  abduction  and  the  concealment  of  a 
person,  but  not  of  murder.  Such  an  insinuation  was  a 
serious  matter.  The  code  of  Brumaire,  }'ear  IV.,  forbade 
the  public  prosecutor  from  presenting  any  fresh  count 
at  the  trial ;  he  must  keep  within  the  indictment  or 
the  proceedings  would  be  annulled. 

The  public  prosecutor  replied  that  Michu,  the  person 
chiefly  concerned  in  the  abduction  and  who,  in  the  in- 
terests of  his  masters,  had  taken  the  responsibility  on 
his  own  shoulders,  might  have  thought  it  necessary  to 
plaster  up  the  entrance  of  the  hiding-place,  still  undis- 
covered, where  the  senator  was  now  immured. 

Pressed  with  questions,  hampered  by  the  presence  of 
Goth  arc! ,  and  brought  into  contradiction  with  himself, 
Michu  struck  his  fist  upon  the  edge  of  the  dock  with  a 
resounding  blow  and  said  :  "  I  have  had  nothing  what- 
ever to  do  with  the  abduction  of  the  senator.  I  hope 
and  believe  his  enemies  have  merely  imprisoned  him ; 
when  he  reappears  you  '11  find  out  that  the  plaster  was 
put  to  no  such  use." 

"Good!"  said  de  Grand ville,  addressing  the  public 
prosecutor  ;  "  you  have  done  more  for  my  client's  cause 
than  anything  I  could  have  said." 

The  first  day's  session  ended  with  this  bold  declara- 
tion, which  surprised  the  judges  and  gave  an  advantage 
to  the  defence.     The  lawj-ers  of  the  town  and  Bordin 


An  Historical  Mystery.  273 

• 

himself  congratulated  the  young  advocate.  The  prose- 
cutor, uneasy  at  the  assertion,  feared  that  he  had  fallen 
into  some  trap  ;  in  fact  he  was  really  caught  in  a  snare 
that  was  cleverly  set  for  him  by  the  defence  and  admir- 
ably played  off  by  Gothard.  The  wits  of  the  town 
declared  that  he  had  white-washed  the  affair  and 
splashed  his  own  cause,  and  had  made  the  accused  as 
white  as  the  plaster  itself.  France  is  the  domain  of 
satire,  which  reigns  supreme  in  our  land ;  Frenchmen 
jest  on  a  scaffold,  at  the  Beresina,  at  the  barricades,  and 
some  will  doubtless  appear  with  a  quirk  upon  their  lips 
at  the  grand  assizes  of  the  Last  Judgment. 


18 


274  An  Historical  Mystery. 


XYIII. 

TRIAL   CONTINUED:    CRUEL   VICISSITUDES. 

On  the  morrow  the  witnesses  for  the  prosecution  were 
examined,  —  Madame  Marion,  Madame  Grevin,  Grevin 
himself,  the  senator's  valet,  and  Violette,  whose  testi- 
mony can  readily  be  imagined  from  the  facts  already 
told.  They  all  identified  the  five  prisoners,  with  more 
or  less  hesitation  as  to  the  four  gentlemen,  but  with 
absolute  certainty  as  to  Michu.  Beauvisage  repeated 
Robert  d'Hauteserre's  speech  when  he  met  them  at  day- 
break in  the  park.  The  peasant  who  had  bought  Mon- 
sieur d'Hauteserre's  calf  testified  to  overhearing  that  of 
Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C}'gne.  The  experts,  who  had 
compared  the  hoof-prints  with  the  shoes  on  the  horses 
ridden  by  the  five  prisoners  and  found  them  absolutely 
alike,  confirmed  their  previous  depositions.  This  point 
was  naturally  one  of  vehement  contention  between 
Monsieur  de  Grandville  and  the  prosecuting  officer. 
The  defence  called  the  blacksmith  at  Cinq-Cygne  and 
succeeded  in  proving  that  he  had  sold  several  horse- 
shoes of  the  same  pattern  to  strangers  who  were  not 
known  in  the  place.  The  blacksmith  declared,  more- 
over, that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  shoeing  in  this  par- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  275 

ticular  manner  not  only  the  horses  of  the  chateau  de 
Cinq-Cygne  but  those  from  other  places  in  the  canton. 
It  was  also  proved  that  the  horse  which  Michu  habitu- 
ally rode  was  always  shod  at  Troj'es,  and  the  mark  of 
that  shoe  was  not  among  the  hoof-prints  found  in  the 
park. 

"  Michu's  double  was  not  aware  of  this  circumstance, 
of  he  would  have  provided  for  it,"  said  Monsieur  de 
Grand ville,  looking  at  the  jur}-.  "  Neither  has  the 
prosecution  shown  what  horses  our  clients  rode." 

He  ridiculed  the  testimony  of  Violette  so  far  as  it 
concerned  a  recognition  of  the  horses,  seen  from  a  long 
distance,  from  behind,  and  after  dusk.  Still,  in  spite 
of  all  his  efforts,  the  body  of  the  evidence  was  against 
Michu  ;  and  the  prosecutor,  judge,  jury,  and  audience 
were  impressed  with  a  feeling  (as  the  lawj'ers  for  the 
defence  had  foreseen)  that  the  guilt  of  the  servant  car- 
ried with  it  that  of  the  masters.  So  the  vital  interest 
centred  on  all  that  concerned  Michu.  His  bearing  was 
noble.  He  showed  in  his  answers  the  sagacity  with 
which  nature  had  endowed  him  ;  and  the  public,  seeing 
him  on  his  mettle,  recognized  his  superiority.  And 
yet,  strange  to  say,  the  more  the}r  understood  him  the 
more  certainty  they  felt  that  he  was  the  instigator  of 
the  outrage. 

The  witnesses  for  the  defence,  always  less  important 
in  the  eyes  of  a  jury  and  of  the  law  than  the  witnesses 


276  An  Historical  Mystery. 

for  the  prosecution,  seemed  to  testif}^  as  in  duty  bound, 
and  were  listened  to  with  that  allowance.  In  the  first 
place  neither  Marthe,  nor  Monsieur  and  Madame 
d'Hauteserre  took  the  oath.  Catherine  and  the  Durieus, 
in  their  capacity  as  servants,  did  not  take  it.  Mon-. 
sieur  d'Hauteserre  stated  that  he  had  ordered  Michu  to 
replace  and  mend  the  stone  post  which  had  been  thrown 
lown.  The  deposition  of  the  experts  sent  to  examine 
the  fence,  which  was  now  read,  confirmed  his  testimon}r ; 
but  the}T  helped  the  prosecution  by  declaring  tXiey  could 
not  fix  the  exact  time  at  which  the  repairs  had  been 
made ;  it  might  have  been  several  weeks  or  no  more 
than  twent}r  days. 

The  appearance  of  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne 
excited  the  liveliest  curiosity :  but  the  sight  of  her 
cousins  in  the  prisoners'  dock  after  three  weeks'  separa- 
tion affected  her  so  much  that  her  emotions  gave  the 
audience  an  impression  of  guilt.  She  felt  an  over- 
whelming desire  to  stand  beside  the  twins,  and  was 
obliged,  as  she  afterwards  admitted,  to  use  all  her 
strength  to  repress  the  longing  that  came  into  her  mind 
to  kill  the  prosecutor  so  as  to  stand  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world  as  a  criminal  beside  them.  She  testified,  with 
simplicity,  that  riding  from  Cinq-Cygne  and  seeing 
smoke  in  the  park  of  Gondreville,  she  had  supposed 
there  was  a  fire  ;  at  first  she  thought  they  were  burning 
weeds  or  brush ;  "but  later,"  she  added,  "I  observed 


An  Historical  Mystery,  211 

a  circumstance  which  I  offer  to  the  attention  of  the 
Court.  I  found  in  the  frogging  of  my  habit  and  in  the 
folds  of  my  collar  small  fragments  of  what  appeared  to 
be  burned  paper  which  were  floating  in  the  air." 

"  Was  there  much  smoke?  "  asked  Bordin. 

"Yes,"  replied  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne,  "I 
feared  a  conflagration." 

"  This  is  enough  to  change  the  whole  inquiry,"  re- 
marked Bordin.  "  I  request  the  Court  to  order  an  im- 
mediate examination  of  that  region  of  the  park  where 
the  fire  occurred." 

The  president  ordered  the  inquiry. 

Grevin,  recalled  by  the  defence  and  questioned  on 
this  circumstance,  declared  he  knew  nothing  about  it. 
But  Bordin  and  he  exchanged  looks  which  mutually 
enlightened  them. 

"The  gist  of  the  case  is  there,"  thought  the  old 
lawj'er. 

"  Tr^'ve  laid  their  finger  on  it,"  thought  the  notaiy. 

But  each  shrewd  head  considered  the  following  up  of 
this  point  useless.  Bordin  reflected  that  Grevin  would 
be  silent  as  the  grave ;  and  Grevin  congratulated  him- 
self that  every  sign  of  the  fire  had  been  effaced. 

To  settle  this  point,  which  seemed  a  mere  accessory 
to  the  trial  and  somewhat  puerile  (but  which  is  really 
essential  in  the  justification  which  histoiy  owes  to  these 
young  men),  the  experts  and  Pigoult,  who  were  des- 


278  An  Historical  Mystery, 

patched  by  the  president  to  examine  the  park,  reported 
that  they  could  find  no  traces  of  a  bonfire. 

Bordin  summoned  two  laborers,  who  testified  to  hav- 
ing dug  over,  under  the  direction  of  the  forester,  a  tract 
of  ground  in  the  park  where  the  grass  had  been  burned ; 
but  they  declared  they  had  not  observed  the  nature  of 
the  ashes  they  had  buried. 

The  forester,  recalled  by  the  defence,  said  he  had 
received  from  the  senator  himself,  as  he  was  passing  the 
chateau  of  Gondreville  on  his  way  to  the  masquerade  at 
Arcis,  an  order  to  dig  over  that  particular  piece  of 
ground  which  the  senator  had  remarked  as  needing  it. 

"  Had  papers,  or  herbage  been  burned  there?" 

"I  could  not  say.  I  saw  nothing  that  made  me 
think  that  papers  had  been  burned  there,"  replied  the 
forester. 

"  At  any  rate,"  said  Bordin,  "  if,  as  it  appears,  a  fire 
was  kindled  on  that  piece  of  ground  some  one  brought 
to  the  spot  whatever  was  burned  there." 

The  testimony  of  the  abbe  and  that  of  Mademoiselle 
Goujet  made  a  favorable  impression.  They  said  that 
as  they  left  the  church  after  vespers  and  were  walking 
towards  home,  thejT  met  the  four  gentlemen  and  Michu 
leaving  the  chateau  on  horseback  and  making  their  way 
to  the  forest.  The  character,  position,  and  known 
uprightness  of  the  Abbe  Goujet  gave  weight  to  his 
words. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  279 

The  summing  up  of  the  public  prosecutor,  who  felt 
sure  of  obtaining  a  verdict,  was  of  the  nature  of  all 
such  speeches.  The  prisoners  were  the  incorrigible 
enemies  of  France,  her  institutions  and  laws.  They 
thirsted  for  tumult  and  conspirac}7.  Though  the}T  had 
belonged  to  the  arnry  of  Conde  and  had  shared  in  the 
late  attempts  against  the  life  of  the  Emperor,  that  mag- 
nanimous sovereign  had  erased  their  names  from  the 
list  of  emigres.  This  was  the  return  they  made  for  his 
clemency !  In  short,  all  the  oratorical  declamations 
of  the  Bourbons  against  the  Bonapartists,  which  in  our 
day  are  repeated  against  the  republicans  and  the  legiti- 
mists by  the  Younger  Branch,  flourished  in  the  speech. 
These  trite  commonplaces,  which  might  have  some 
meaning  under  a  fixed  government,  seem  farcical  in 
the  mouth  of  administrators  of  all  epochs  and  opinions. 
A  saying  of  the  troublous  times  of  }'ore  is  still  appli- 
cable :  "  The  label  is  changed,  but  the  wine  is  the  same 
as  ever."  The  public  prosecutor,  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished legal  men  under  the  Empire,  attributed  the 
crime  to  a  fixed  determination  on  the  part  of  returned 
Emigres  to  protest  against  the  sale  of  their  estates.  He 
made  the  audience  shudder  at  the  probable  condition 
of  the  senator ;  then  he  massed  together  proofs,  half- 
proofs,  and  probabilities  with  a  cleverness  stimulated  by 
a  sense  that  his  zeal  was  certain  of  its  reward,  and  sat 
down  tranquilly  to  await  the  fire  of  his  opponents. 


280  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Monsieur  de  Grandville  never  argued  but  this  one 
criminal  case  ;  and  it  made  his  reputation.  In  the  first 
place,  he  spoke  with  the  same  glowing  eloquence  which 
to-day  we  admire  in  Berryer.  He  was  profoundly  con- 
vinced of  the  innocence  of  his  clients,  and  that  in  itself 
is  a  most  powerful  auxiliaiy  of  speech.  The  following 
are  the  chief  points  of  his  defence,  which  was  reported 
in  full  by  all  the  leading  newspapers  of  the  period.  In 
the  first  place  he  exhibited  the  character  and  life  of 
Michu  in  its  true  light.  He  made  it  a  noble  tale,  ring- 
ing with  loft}7  sentiments,  and  it  awakened  the  sympa- 
thies of  many.  When  Michu  heard  himself  vindicated 
by  that  eloquent  voice,  tears  sprang  from  his  yellow 
eyes  and  rolled  down  his  terrible  face.  He  appeared 
then  for  what  he  really  was,  —  a  man  as  simple  and  as 
wily  as  a  child  ;  a  being  whose  whole  existence  had  but 
one  thought,  one  aim.  He  was  suddenly  explained  to 
the  minds  of  all  present,  more  especially  by  his  tears, 
which  produced  a  great  effect  upon  the  jury.  His  able 
defender  seized  that  moment  of  strong  interest  to  enter 
upon  a  discussion  of  the  charges  :  — 

"  Where  is  the  body  of  the  person  abducted?  Where 
is  the  senator?  "  he  asked.  "  You  accuse  us  of  walling 
him  up  with  stones  and  plaster.  If  so,  we  alone  know 
where  he  is ;  you  have  kept  us  twentj'-three  days  in 
prison,  and  the  senator  must  be  dead  by  this  time  for 
wrant  of  food.     We  are  therefore  murderers,  but  you 


An  Historical  Mystery.  281 

have  not  accused  us  of  murder.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
he  still  lives,  we  must  have  accomplices.  If  we  have 
them,  and  if  the  senator  is  living,  we  should  assuredly 
have  set  him  at  liberty.  The  scheme  in  relation  to 
Gondreville  which  you  attribute  to  us  is  a  failure,  and 
only  aggravates  our  position  uselessly.  We  might 
perhaps  obtain  a  pardon  for  an  abortive  attempt  by 
releasing  our  victim  ;  instead  of  that  we  persist  in  de- 
taining a  man  from  whom  we  can  obtain  no  benefit 
whatever.  It  is  absurd !  Take  away  3-our  plaster ; 
the  effect  is  a  failure,"  he  said,  addressing  the  public 
prosecutor.  "We  are  either  idiotic  criminals  (which 
3'ou  do  not  believe)  or  the  innocent  victims  of  circum- 
stances as  inexplicable  to  us  as  they  are  to  you.  You 
ought  rather  to  search  for  the  mass  of  papers  which 
were  burned  at  Gondreville,  which  will  reveal  motives 
stronger  far  than  yours  or  ours  and  put  }Tou  on  the 
track  of  the  causes  of  this  abduction." 

The  speaker  discussed  these  hypotheses  with  marvel- 
lous ability.  He  dwelt  on  the  moral  character  of  the 
witnesses  for  the  defence,  whose  religious  faith  was  a 
living  one,  who  believed  in  a  future  life  and  in  eternal 
punishment.  He  rose  to  grandeur  in  this  part  of  his 
speech  and  moved  his  hearers  deepl}' :  — 

"  Remember !  "  he  said  ;  "  these  criminals  were  tran- 
quilly dining  when  told  of  the  abduction  of  the  senator. 
When  the  officer  of  gendarmes  intimated  to  them  the 


282  An  Historical  Mystery. 

best  means  of  ending  the  whole  affair  by  giving  up  the 
senator,  they  refused,  for  the}'  did  not  understand  what 
was  asked  of  them  !  " 

Then,  reverting  to  the  mystery  of  the  matter,  he  de- 
clared that  its  solution  was  in  the  hands  of  time,  which 
would  eventually  reveal  the  injustice  of  the  charge. 
Once  on  this  ground,  he  boldly  and  ingeniously  supposed 
himself  a  juror ;  related  his  deliberations  with  his  col- 
leagues ;  imagined  his  distress  lest,  having  condemned 
the  innocent,  the  error  should  be  known  too  late,  and 
drew  such  a  picture  of  his  remorse,  dwelling  on  the 
grave  doubts  which  the  case  presented,  that  he  brought 
the  jury  to  a  condition  of  intense  anxiety. 

Juries  were  not  in  those  davs  so  blase  to  this  sort  of 

90 

allocution  as  they  are  now ;  Monsieur  de  Grandville's 
appeal  had  the  power  of  things  new,  and  the  jurors 
were  evidently  shaken.  After  this  passionate  outburst 
they  had  to  listen  to  the  wily  and  specious  prosecutor, 
who  went  over  the  whole  case,  brought  out  the  darkest 
points  against  the  prisoners  and  made  the  rest  inex- 
plicable. His  aim  was  to  reach  the  minds  and  the 
reasoning  faculties  of  his  hearers  just  as  Monsieur  de 
Grandville  had  aimed  at  the  heart  and  the  imagination. 
The  latter,  however,  had  seriousty  entangled  the  con- 
victions of  the  juiy,  and  the  public  prosecutor  found 
his  well-laid  arguments  ineffectual.  This  was  so  plain 
that  the   counsel  for  the  Messieurs  d'Hauteserre  and 


An  Historical  Mystery.  283 

Gotharcl  appealed  to  the  judgment  of  the  jury,  asking 
that  the  case  against  their  clients  be  abandoned.  The 
prosecutor  demanded  a  postponement  till  the  next  day 
in  order  that  he  might  prepare  an  answer.  Bordin, 
who  saw  acquittal  in  the  eyes  of  the  jury  if  the}'  delib- 
erated on  the  case  at  once,  opposed  the  delay  of  even 
one  night  by  arguments  of  legal  right  and  justice  to  his 
innocent  clients  ;   but  in  vain,  —  the  court  allowed  it. 

"  The  interests  of  societ}-  are  as  great  as  those  of 
the  accused,"  said  the  president.  "  The  court  would 
be  lacking  in  equity  if  it  denied  a  like  request  when 
made  by  the  defence  ;  it  ought  therefore  to  grant  that 
of  the  prosecution." 

4 '  All  is  luck  or  ill-luck  !  "  said  Bordin  to  his  clients 
when  the  session  was  over.  "Almost  acquitted  to- 
night you  may  be  condemned  to-morrow." 

"  In  either  case,"  said  the  elder  de  Simeuse,  "  we 
can  only  admire  your  skill." 

Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne's  eyes  were  full  of  tears. 
After  the  doubts  and  fears  of  the  counsel  for  the  de- 
fence, she  had  not  expected  this  success.  Those 
around  her  congratulated  her  and  predicted  the  acquit- 
tal of  her  cousins.  But  alas  !  the  matter  was  destined 
to  end  in  a  startling  and  almost  theatrical  event,  the 
most  unexpected  and  disastrous  circumstance  which 
ever  changed  the  face  of  a  criminal  trial. 

At  five  in  the  morning  of  the  day  after  Monsieur  de 


284  An  Historical  Mystery, 

Grandville's  speech,  the  senator  was  found  on  the  high 
road  to  Troyes,  delivered  from  captivity  during  his 
sleep,  unaware  of  the  trial  that  was  going  on  or  of  the 
excitement  attaching  to  his  name  in  Europe,  and  simply 
happy  in  being  once  more  able  to  breathe  the  fresh  air. 
The  man  who  was  the  pivot  of  the  drama  was  quite  as 
amazed  at  what  was  now  told  to  him  as  the  persons 
who  met  him  making  his  way  to  TWyes  were  astounded 
at  his  reappearance.  A  farmer  lent  him  a  carriage  and 
he  soon  reached  the  house  of  the  prefect  at  Troj'es. 
The  prefect  notified  the  director  of  the  jury,  the  com- 
missary of  the  government,  and  the  public  prosecutor, 
who,  after  a  statement  made  to  them  by  Malin,  arrested 
Marthe,  while  she  was  still  in  bed  at  the  Durieus'  house 
in  the  suburbs.  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C3'gne,  who  was 
only  at  liberty  under  bail,  was  also  snatched  from  one 
of  the  few  hours  of  slumber  she  had  been  able  to  obtain 
at  rare  intervals  in  the  course  of  her  ceaseless  anxiety, 
and  taken  to  the  prefecture  to  undergo  an  examination. 
An  order  to  keep  the  accused  from  holding  any  com- 
munication with  each  other  or  with  their  counsel  was 
sent  to  the  prison.  At  ten  o'clock  the  crowd  which 
assembled  around  the  courtroom  were  informed  that 
the  trial  was  postponed  until  one  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day. 

This   change  of  hour,   following  on  the  news  of  the 
senator's   deliverance,   Marthe's    arrest,   and    that   of 


An  Historical  Mystery.  285 

Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C3'gne,  together  with  the  denial 
of  the  right  to  communicate  with  the  prisoners  carried 
terror  to  the  hotel  de  Chargebceuf.  The  whole  town 
and  the  spectators  who  had  come  to  Troj'es  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  trial,  the  short-hand  writers  for  the  daily 
journals,  even  the  populace  were  in  a  ferment  which  can 
readily  be  imagined.  The  Abbe  Goujet  came  at  ten 
o'clock  to  see  Monsieur  and  Madame  d'Hauteserre  and 
the  counsel  for  the  defence,  who  were  breakfasting  — 
as  well  as  they  could  under  the  circumstances.  The 
abbe  took  Bordin  and  Monsieur  Grandville  apart,  told 
them  what  Marthe  had  confided  to  him  the  day  before, 
and  gave  them  the  fragment  of  the  letter  she  had 
received.  The  two  lawyers  exchanged  a  look,  after 
which  Bordin  said  to  the  abbe*:  "  Not  a  word  of  all 
this  !  The  case  is  lost ;  but  at  any  rate  let  us  show  a 
firm  front." 

Marthe  was  not  strong  enough  to  evade  the  cross- 
questioning  of  the  director  of  the  jury  and  the  public 
prosecutor.  Moreover  the  proof  against  her  was  too 
overwhelming.  Lechesneau  had  sent  for  the  under 
crust  of  the  last  loaf  of  bread  she  had  carried  to  the 
cavern,  also  for  the  empty  bottles  and  various  other 
articles.  During  the  senator's  long  hours  of  captivit}' 
he  had  formed  conjectures  in  his  own  mind  and  had 
looked  for  indications  which  might  put  him  on  the  track 
of  his  enemies.     These  he  now  communicated   to  the 


286  An  Historical  Mystery. 

authorities.  Michu's  farmhouse,  lately  built,  had,  he 
supposed,  a  new  oven  ;  the  tiles  or  bricks  on  which  the 
bread  was  baked  would  show  their  jointed  lines  on  the 
bottom  of  the  loaves,  and  thus  afford  a  proof  that 
the  bread  supplied  to  him  was  baked  in  that  particular 
oven.  So  with  the  wine  brought  in  bottles  sealed  with 
green  wax,  which  would  probably  be  found  identical 
with  other  bottles  in  Michu's  cellar.  These  shrewd 
observations,  which  Malin  imparted  to  the  justice  of 
peace,  who  made  the  first  examination  (taking  Marthe 
with  him),  led  to  the  results  foreseen  hy  the  senator. 

Marthe,  deceived  b}T  the  apparent  friendliness  of 
Lechesneau  and  the  public  prosecutor,  who  assured  her 
that  complete  confession  could  alone  save  her  husband's 
life,  admitted  that  the  cavern  where  the  senator  had 
been  hidden  was  known  only  to  her  husband  and  the 
Messieurs  de  Simeuse  and  d'Hauteserre,  and  that  she 
herself  had  taken  provisions  to  the  senator  on  three 
separate  occasions  at  midnight. 

Laurence,  questioned  about  the  cavern,  was  forced 
to  acknowledge  that  Michu  had  discovered  it  and  had 
shown  it  to  her  at  the  time  when  the  four  young  men 
evaded  the  police  and  were  hidden  in  it. 

As  soon  as  these  preliminary  examinations  were 
ended,  the  jury,  lawyers,  and  audience  were  notified  that 
the  trial  would  be  resumed.  At  three  o'clock  the  presi- 
dent opened  the  session  by  announcing  that  the  case 


An  Historical  Mystery,  287 

would  be  continued  under  a  new  aspect.  He  exhibited 
to  Michu  three  bottles  of  wine  and  asked  him  if  he 
recognized  them  as  bottles  from  his  own  cellar,  showing 
him  at  the  same  time  the  identity  between  the  green 
wax  on  two  empty  bottles  with  the  green  wax  on  a  full 
bottle  taken  from  his  cellar  that  morning  by  the  justice 
of  peace  in  presence  of  his  wife.  Michu  refused  to 
recognize  anything  as  his  own.  But  these  proofs  for 
the  prosecution  were  understood  by  the  jurors,  to  whom 
the  president  explained  that  the  empty  bottles  were 
found  in  the  place  where  the  senator  was  imprisoned. 

Each  prisoner  was  questioned  as  to  the  cavern  or  cel- 
lar beneath  the  ruins  of  the  old  monastery.  It  was 
proved  by  all  witnesses  for  the  prosecution,  and  also  for 
the  defence,  that  the  existence  of  this  hiding-place  dis- 
covered b}'  Michu  was  known  only  to  him  and  his  wife, 
and  to  Laurence  and  the  four  gentlemen.  We  may 
judge  of  the  effect  in  the  courtroom  when  the  public 
prosecutor  made  known  the  fact  that  this  cavern,  known 
only  to  the  accused  and  to  their  two  witnesses,  was  the 
place  where  the  senator  had  been  imprisoned. 

Marthe  was  summoned.  Her  appearance  caused 
much  excitement  among  the  spectators  and  keen  anxiety 
to  the  prisoners.  Monsieur  de  Grandville  rose  to  pro- 
test against  the  testimony  of  a  wife  against  her  husband. 
The  public  prosecutor  replied  that  Marthe  by  her  own 
confession  was  an  accomplice  in  the  outrage ;  that  she 


288  An  Historical  Mystery. 

had  neither  sworn  nor  testified,  and  was  to  be  heard 
solely  in  the  interests  of  truth. 

"We  need  o\\\y  submit  her  preliminary  examination 
to  the  jury,"  remarked  the  president,  who  now  ordered 
the  clerk  of  the  court  to  read  the  said  testimony  aloud. 

"Do  }'ou  now  confirm  your  own  statement?"  said 
the  president,  addressing  Marine. 

Michu  looked  at  his  wife,  and  Marthe,  who  saw  her 
fatal  error,  fainted  awa}r  and  fell  to  the  floor.  It  may 
be  truly  said  that  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen  upon  the 
prisoners  and  their  counsel. 

"  I  never  wrote  to  my  wife  from  prison,  and  I  know 
none  of  the  persons  employed  there,"  said  Michu. 

Bordin  passed  to  him  the  fragments  of  the  letter 
Marthe  had  received.  Michu  gave  but  one  glance  at  it. 
"  My  writing  has  been  imitated,"  he  said. 

"  Denial  is  3Tour  last  resource,"  said  the  public 
prosecutor. 

The  senator  was  introduced  into  the  courtroom  with  all 
the  ceremonies  due  to  his  position.  His  entrance  was 
like  a  stage  scene.  Malin  (now  called  Comte  de  Gon- 
dreville,  without  regard  to  the  feelings  of  the  late  owners 
of  the  property)  was  requested  by  the  president  to  look 
at  the  prisoners,  and  did  so  with  great  attention  and  for 
a  long  time.  He  stated  that  the  clothing  of  his  abduc- 
tors was  exactly  like  that  worn  by  the  four  gentlemen ; 
but  he  declared  that  the  trouble  of  his  mind  had  been 


An  Historical  Mystery.  289 

such  that  he  could  not  be  positive  that  the  accused  were 
really  the  guilty  parties. 

"  More  than  that,"  he  said,  "  it  is  my  conviction  that 
these  four  gentlemen  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The 
hands  that  blindfolded  me  in  the  forest  were  coarse 
and  rough.  I  should  rather  suppose,"  he  added,  look- 
ing at  Michu,  "  that  my  old  enemy  took  charge  of  that 
dutjr ;  but  I  beg  the  gentlemen  of  the  jury  not  to  give 
too  much  weight  to  this  remark.  M}'  suspicions  are 
very  slight,  and  I  feel  no  certainty  whatever  —  for  this 
reason.  The  two  men  who  seized  me  put  me  on  horse- 
back behind  the  man  who  had  blindfolded  me,  and 
whose  hair  was  red  like  Michu 's.  However  singular 
3-011  may  consider  the  observation  I  am  about  to  make, 
it  is  necessar3T  to  make  it  because  it  is  the  ground  of  an 
opinion  favorable  to  the  accused  —  who,  I  hope,  will 
not  feel  offended  by  it.  Fastened  to  the  man's  back  I 
would  naturany  have  been  affected  by  his  odor  —  yet  I 
did  not  perceive  that  which  is  peculiar  to  Michu.  As 
to  the  person  who  brought  me  provisions  on  three 
several  occasions,  I  am  certain  it  was  Marthe,  the  wife 
of  Michu.  I  recognized  her  the  first  time  she  came  bv 
a  ring  she  alwa}'s  wore,  which  she  had  forgotten  to 
remove.  The  Court  and  juiy  will  please  allow  for  the 
contradictions  which  appear  in  the  facts  I  have  stated, 
which  I  myself  am  wholly  unable  to  reconcile." 

A  murmur  of  approval  followed  this  testimon}\     Bor- 

19 


290  An  Historical  Mystery. 

din  asked  permission  of  the  Court  to  address  a  few 
questions  to  the  witness. 

"  Does  the  senator  think  that  his  abduction  was  due 
to  other  causes  than  the  interests  respecting  property 
which  the  prosecution  attributes  to  the  prisoners  ?  " 

4 '  I  do  "  replied  the  senator,  ' '  but  I  am  wholly  igno- 
rant of  what  the  real  motives  were  ;  for  during  a  cap- 
tivity of  twenty  days  I  saw  and  heard  no  one." 

44  Do  you  think,"  said  the  public  prosecutor,  44that 
your  chateau  at  Gondreville  contains  information,  title- 
deeds,  or  other  papers  of  value  which  would  induce  a 
search  on  the  part  of  the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse  ?  " 

44  I  do  not  think  so,"  replied  Malm  ;  "  I  believe  those 
gentlemen  to  be  incapable  of  attempting  to  get  posses- 
sion of  such  papers  by  violence.  The}'  had  only  to  ask 
me  for  them  to  obtain  them." 

44  You  burned  certain  papers  in  the  park,  did  you 
not?"  said  Monsieur  de  Grandville,  abruptly. 

Malin  looked  at  Grevin.  After  exchanging  a  rapid 
glance  with  the  notary,  which  Bordin  intercepted,  he 
replied  that  he  had  not  burned  any  papers.  The  public 
prosecutor  having  asked  him  to  describe  the  ambush 
to  which  he  had  so  nearly  fallen  a  victim  two  years 
earlier,  the  senator  replied  that  he  had  seen  Michu 
watching  him  from  the  fork  of  a  tree.  This  answer, 
which  agreed  with  Grevin's  testimony,  produced  a  great 
impression. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  291 

The  four  gentlemen  remained  impassible  during  the 
examination  of  their  enemy,  who  seemed  determined  to 
overwhelm  them  with  generosit}'.  Laurence  suffered 
horrible  agony.  From  time  to  time  the  Marquis  de 
Chargeboeuf  held  her  b}T  the  arm,  fearing  she  might  dart 
forward  to  the  rescue.  The  Comte  de  Goudreville  retired 
from  the  courtroom  and  as  he  did  so  he  bowed  to  the 
four  gentlemen,  who  did  not  return  the  salutation. 
This  trifling  matter  made  the  jury  indignant. 

"  They  are  lost  now,"  whispered  Bordin  to  the  Mar- 
quis de  Chargeboeuf. 

"Alas,  yes!  and  alwa}*s  through  the  nobility  of 
their  sentiments,"  replied  the  marquis. 

"  My  task  is  now  only  too  eas}r,  gentlemen,"  said  the 
prosecutor,  rising  to  address  the  jury. 

He  explained  the  use  of  the  cement  b}T  the  necessity 
of  securing  an  iron  frame  on  which  to  fasten  a  padlock 
which  held  the  iron  bar  with  which  the  gate  of  the 
cavern  was  closed  ;  a  description  of  which  was  given  in 
the  proces-verbal  made  that  morning  by  Pigoult.  He 
put  the  falsehoods  of  the  accused  into  the  strongest 
light,  and  pulverized  the  arguments  of  the  defence  with 
the  new  evidence  so  miraculously  obtained.  In  1806 
France  was  still  too  near  the  Supreme  Being  of  1793  to 
talk  about  divine  justice  ;  he  therefore  spared  the  jury 
all  reference  to  the  intervention  of  heaven  ;  but  he  said 
that   earthly  justice  would   be   on   the  watch   for   the 


292  An  Historical  Mystery. 

mysterious  accomplices  who  had  set  the  senator  at 
liberty,  and  he  sat  down,  confidently  awaiting  the 
verdict. 

The  jury  believed  there  was  a  mystery,  but  the}r  were 
all  persuaded  that  it  came  from  the  prisoners,  who  were 
probably  concealing  some  matter  of  a  private  interest  of 
great  importance  to  them. 

Monsieur  de  Grandville,  to  whom  a  plot  or  machina- 
tion of  some  kind  was  quite  evident,  rose ;  but  he 
seemed  discouraged,  —  less,  however,  b}^  the  new  evi- 
dence than  by  the  manifest  opinion  of  the  jury.  He 
surpassed,  if  anything,  his  speech  of  the  previous  even- 
ing ;  his  argument  was  more  compact  and  logical ;  but 
he  felt  his  fervor  repelled  by  the  coldness  of  the  juiy ; 
he  spoke  ineffectually,  and  he  knew  it,  —  a  chilling  situa- 
tion for  an  advocate.  He  called  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  release  of  the  senator,  as  if  b}-  magic  and  clearly 
without  the  aid  of  any  of  the  accused  or  of  Marthe, 
corroborated  his  previous  argument.  Yesterdaj-  the 
prisoners  could  most  assuredly  rely  on  acquittal,  and 
if  they  had,  as  the  prosecution  claimed,  the  power  to 
hold  or  to  release  the  senator,  the}'  certainly  would 
not  have  released  him  until  after  their  acquittal.  He 
endeavored  to  bring  before  the  minds  of  the  Court 
and  jury  the  fact  that  mysterious  enemies,  undiscovered 
as  }'et,  could  alone  have  struck  the  accused  this  final 
blow. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  293 

Strange  to  sa}',  the  only  minds  Monsieur  de  Grand- 
ville  reached  with  this  argument  were  those  of  the 
public  prosecutor  and  the  judges.  The  jury  listened  per- 
functorily ;  the  audience,  usually  so  favorable  to  prison- 
ers, were  convinced  of  their  guilt.  In  a  court  of 
justice  the  sentiments  of  the  crowd  do  unquestionably 
weigh  upon  the  judges  and  the  jury,  and  vice  versa. 
Seeing  this  condition  of  the  minds  about  him,  which 
could  be  felt  if  not  defined,  the  counsel  uttered  his  last 
words  in  a  tone  of  passionate  excitement  caused  by  his 
conviction  •  — 

"  In  the  name  of  the  accused,"  he  cried,  "  I  forgive 
you  for  the  fatal  error  }'ou  are  about  to  commit, 
and  which  nothing  can  repair !  We  are  the  victims 
of  some  m}'sterious  and  machiavelian  power.  Marthe 
Michu  was  inveigled  by  vile  perfidy.  You  will  dis- 
cover this  too  late,  when  the  evil  you  now  do  will  be 
irreparable." 

Bordin  simply  claimed  the  acquittal  of  the  prisoners 
on  the  testimony  of  the  senator  himself. 

The  president  summed  up  the  case  with  all  the  more 
impartiality  because  it  was  evident  that  the  minds  of 
the  jurors  were  already  made  up.  He  even  turned  the 
scales  in  favor  of  the  prisoners  by  dwelling  on  the  sena- 
tor's evidence.  This  clemency,  however,  did  not  in  the 
least  endanger  the  success  of  the  prosecution.  At 
eleven  o'clock   that  night,   after  the  jury  had  replied 


294  An  Historical  Mystery. 

through  their  foreman  to  the  usual  questions,  the  Court 
condemned  Michu  to  death,  the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse 
to  twenty-four  3'ears'  and  the  Messieurs  d'Hauteserre 
to  ten  years,  penal  servitude  at  hard  labor.  Gothard 
was  acquitted. 

The  whole  audience  was  eager  to  observe  the  bearing 
of  the  five  guilty  men  in  this  supreme  moment  of  their 
lives.  The  four  gentlemen  looked  at  Laurence,  who 
returned  them,  with  dry  ej'es,  the  ardent  look  of  the 
martyrs. 

"  She  would  have  wept  had  we  been  acquitted,"  said 
the  younger  de  Simeuse  to  his  brother. 

Never  did  convicted  men  meet  an  unjust  fate  with 
serener  brows  or  countenances  more  worthy  of  their 
manhood  than  these  five  victims  of  a  cruel  plot. 

"Our  counsel  has  forgiven  3*ou,"  said  the  eldest  de 
Simeuse  to  the  Court. 

Madame  d'Hauteserre  fell  ill,  and  was  three  months 
in  her  bed  at  the  hotel  de  Chargebceuf.  Monsieur 
d'Hauteserre  returned  patiently  to  Cinq-C3~gne,  in- 
wardly gnawed  by  one  of  those  sorrows  of  old  age 
wrhich  have  none  of  }*outh's  distractions  ;  often  he  was 
so  absent-minded  that  the  abbe,  who  watched  him, 
knew  the  poor  father  was  living  over  again  the  scene 
of  the  fatal  verdict.  Marthe  passed  away  from  all 
blame ;   she  died  three  weeks  after  the  condemnation 


,n;  it 
'ter  a 


An  Historical  Mystery.  295 

of  her  husband,  confiding  her  son  to  Laurence,  in  whose 
arms  she  died. 

The  trial  once  over,  political  events  of  the  utmost 
importance  effaced  even  the  memory  of  it,  and  nothing 
further  was  discovered.  Societ}-  is  like  the  ocean ;  it 
returns  to  its  level  and  its  specious  calmness  afte 
disaster,  effacing  all  traces  of  it  in  the  tide  of  its 
eager  interests. 

Without  her  natural  firmness  of  mind  and  her  knowl- 
edge of  her  cousins'  innocence,  Laurence  would  have 
succumbed ;  but  she  gave  fresh  proof  of  the  grandeur 
of  her  character ;  she  astonished  Monsieur  de  Grand- 
ville  and  Bordin  by  the  apparent  serenitj*  which  these 
terrible  misfortunes  called  forth  in  her  noble  soul.  She 
nursed  Madame  d'Hauteserre  and  went  dail}r  to  the 
prison,  saying  openly  that  she  would  marry  one  of  her 
cousins  when  they  were  taken  to  the  gallejs. 

"To  the  galleys!"  cried  Bordin,  "Mademoiselle! 
our  first  endeavor  must  be  to  wring  their  pardon  from 
the  Emperor." 

"  Their  pardon  !  — from  a  Bonaparte  ?  "  cried  Lau- 
rence in  horror. 

The  spectacles  of  the  old  lawyer  jumped  from  his 
nose  ;  he  caught  them  as  they  fell  and  looked  at  the 
young  girl  who  was  now  indeed  a  woman  ;  he  under- 
stood her  character  at  last  in  all  its  bearings ;  then  he 
took  the  arm  of  the  Marquis  de  Ch'argeboeuf,  saving  :  — 


296  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Monsieur  le  Marquis,  let  us  go  to  Paris  instantly  and 
save  them  without  her !  " 

The  appeal  of  the  Messieurs  de  Simeuse  and  d'Haute- 
serre  and  that  of  Michu  was  the  first  case  to  be  brought 
before  the  new  court.  Its  decision  was  fortunately  de- 
layed by  the  ceremonies  attending  its  installation. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  297 


XIX. 

THE  EMPEROR'S  BIVOUAC. 

Towards  the  end  of  September,  after  three  sessions 
of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  which  the  lawyers  for  the 
defence  pleaded,  and  the  attornej'-general  Merlin  him- 
self spoke  for  the  prosecution,  the  appeal  was  rejected. 
The  Imperial  Court  of  Paris  was  by  this  time  insti- 
tuted. Monsieur  de  Grand ville  was  appointed  assistant 
attorney-general,  and  the  department  of  the  Aube  com- 
ing under  the  jurisdiction  of  this  court,  it  became 
possible  for  him  to  take  certain  steps  in  favor  of  the 
convicted  prisoners,  among  them  that  of  importuning 
Cambaceres,  his  protector.  Bordin  and  Monsieur  de 
Chargebceuf  came  to  his  house  in  the  Marais  the  day 
after  the  appeal  was  rejected,  where  they  found  him 
in  the  midst  of  his  honeymoon,  for  he  had  married 
in  the  interval.  In  spite  of  all  these  changes  in  his 
condition,  Monsieur  de  Chargebceuf  saw  very  plainly 
that  the  young  lawyer  was  faithful  to  his  late  clients. 
Certain  law}rers,  the  artists  of  their  profession,  treat 
their  causes  like  mistresses.  This  is  rare,  however, 
and  must  not  be  depended  on. 

As  soon  as  they  were  alone  in  his  study,  Monsieur 
de    Grandville   said   to   the   marquis:      "I  have    not 


298  An  Historical  Mystery. 

waited  for  your  visit ;  I  have  already  emplo}*ed  all  ray 
influence.  Don't  attempt  to  save  Michu  ;  if  you  do, 
)ou  cannot  obtain  the  pardon  of  the  Messieurs  de 
Simeuse.     The  law  will  insist  on  one  victim." 

"Good  God ! "  cried  Bordin,  showing  the  young 
magistrate  the  three  petitions  for  mercy;  "  how  can  I 
take  upon  myself  to  withdraw  the  application  for  that 
man.     If  I  suppress  that  paper  I  cut  off  his  head." 

He  held  out  the  petition ;  de  Grandville  took  it, 
looked  it  over,  and  said :  — 

"  We  can't  suppress  it ;  but  be  sure  of  one  thing,  if 
you  ask  all  you  will  obtain  nothing." 

"  Have  we  time  to  consult  Michu?  "  asked  Bordin. 

"Yes.  The  order  for  execution  comes  from  the 
office  of  the  attorney-general ;  I  will  see  that  you.  have 
some  days.  We  kill  men,"  he  said,  with  some  bitterness, 
'*  but  at  least  we  do  it  formally,  especially  in  Paris." 

Monsieur  de  Chargebceuf  had  already  received  from 
the  chief  justice  certain  information  which  added  weight 
to  these  sad  words  of  Monsieur  de  Grandville. 

"  Michu  is  innocent,  I  know,"  continued  the  3'oung 
law3Ter,  ' '  but  what  can  we  do  against  so  many  ?  Re- 
member, too,  that  my  present  influence  depends  on  my 
keeping  silent.  I  must  order  the  scaffold  to  be  pre- 
pared, or  my  late  client  is  certain  to  be  beheaded." 

Monsieur  de  Chargebceuf  knew  Laurence  well  enough 
to  be   certain   she   would   never  consent  to  save   her 


An  Historical  Mystery.  299 

cousins  at  the  expense  of  Michu  ;  he  therefore  resolved 
on  making  one  more  effort.  He  asked  an  audience  of 
the  minister  of  foreign  affairs  to  learn  if  salvation  could 
be  looked  for  through  the  influence  of  the  great  diplo- 
mat. He  took  Bordin  with  him,  for  the  latter  knew  the 
minister  and  had  done  him  some  service.  The  two  old 
men  found  Talleyrand  sitting  with  his  feet  stretched  out, 
absorbed  in  contemplation  of  his  fire,  his  head  resting 
on  his  hand,  his  elbow  on  the  table,  a  newspaper  lying 
at  his  feet.  The  minister  had  just  read  the  decision  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals. 

"  Pra}r  sit  down,  Monsieur  le  marquis,"  said  Talle\*- 
rand,  "  and  yon,  Bordin,"  he  added,  pointing  to  a  place 
at  the  table,  "  write  as  follows  :  — 

Sire,  —  Four  innocent  gentlemen,  declared  guilty  by  a 
jury  have  just  had  their  condemnation  confirmed  by  your 
Court  of  Appeals. 

Your  Imperial  Majesty  can  now  only  pardon  them.  These 
gentlemen  ask  this  pardon  of  your  august  clemency,  in  the 
hope  that  they  may  enter  your  army  and  meet  their  death  in 
battle  before  your  eyes  ;  and  thus  praying,  they  are,  of  your 
Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty,  with  reverence,  etc. 

"  None  but  princes  can  do  such  prompt  and  graceful 
kindness,"  said  the  Marquis  de  Chargebceuf,  taking  the 
precious  draft  of  the  petition  from  the  hands  of  Bordin 
that  he  might  have  it  signed  by  the  four  gentlemen  ; 
resolving  in  his  own  mind  that  he  would  also  obtain  the 
signatures  of  several  august  names. 


300  An  Historical  Mystery, 

"  The  life  of  }'Our  young  relatives,  Monsieur  le  mar- 
quis," said  the  minister,  "  now  depends  on  the  turn  of 
a  battle.  Endeavor  to  reach  the  Emperor  on  the  morn- 
ing after  a  victory  and  they  are  saved." 

He  took  a  pen  and  himself  wrote  a  private  and  con- 
fidential letter  to  the  Emperor,  and  another  of  ten  lines 
to  Marechal  Duroc.  Then  he  rang  the  bell,  asked  his 
secretary  for  a  diplomatic  passport,  and  said  tranquilly 
to  the  old  lawyer,  * '  What  is  your  honest  opinion  of 
that  trial?" 

"  Do  you  know,  monseigneur,  who  was  at  the  bottom 
of  this  cruel  wrong?  " 

' '  I  presume  I  do ;  but  I  have  reasons  to  wish  for 
certainty,"  replied  Talleyrand.  "Return  to  Troves; 
bring  me  the  Comtesse  de  Cinq-Cj'gne,  here,  to-morrow 
at  the  same  hour,  but  secretly ;  ask  to  be  ushered  into 
Madame  de  Talleyrand's  salon  ;  I  will  tell  her  you  are 
coming.  If  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cj'gne,  who  shall  bo 
placed  where  she  can  see  a  man  who  will  be  standing 
before  me,  recognizes  that  man  as  an  individual  who 
came  to  her  house  during  the  conspiracy  of  de  Polignac 
and  Riviere,  tell  her  to  remember  that,  no  matter  what  I 
say  or  what  he  answers  me,  she  must  not  utter  a  word 
nor  make  a  gesture.  One  thing  more,  think  only  of 
saving  the  de  Simeuse  brothers  ;  don't  embarrass  your- 
self with  that  scoundrel  of  a  bailiff  —  " 

"  A  sublime  man,  monseigneur  !  "  exclaimed  Bordin. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  301 

"  Enthusiasm  !  in  you,  Bordin  !  The  man  must  be 
remarkable.  Our  sovereign  has  an  immense  self-love, 
Monsieur  le  marquis,"  he  said,  changing  the  conversa- 
tion. "  He  is  about  to  dismiss  me  that  he  may  commit 
follies  without  warning.  The  Emperor  is  a  great 
soldier  who  can  change  the  laws  of  time  and  distance, 
but  he  cannot  change  men  ;  yet  he  persists  in  trying 
to  run  them  in  his  own  mould  !  Now,  remember  this  ; 
the  young  men's  pardon  can  be  obtained  by  one  person 
only  —  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne." 

The  marquis  went  alone  to  Tro}*es  and  told  the  whole 
matter  to  Laurence.  She  obtained  permission  from  the 
authorities  to  see  Michu,  and  the  marquis  accompanied 
her  to  the  gates  of  the  prison,  where  he  waited  for  her. 
When  she  came  out  her  face  was  bathed  in  tears. 

"  Poor  man  !  "  she  said  ;  "he  tried  to  kneel  to  me, 
praying  that  I  would  not  think  of  him,  and  forgetting 
the  shackles  that  were  on  his  feet!  Ah,  marquis,  I 
will  plead  his  cause.  Yes,  I  '11  kiss  the  boot  of  their 
Emperor.  If  I  fail  —  well,  the  memory  of  that  man 
shall  live  eternall}'  honored  in  our  family.  Present  his 
petition  for  mercy  so  as  to  gain  time  ;  meantime  I  am 
resolved  to  have  his  portrait.     Come,  let  us  go." 

The  next  day,  when  Talleyrand  was  informed  by  a 
sign  agreed  upon  that  Laurence  was  at  her  post,  he 
rang  the  bell;  his  orderly  came  to  him,  and  received 
orders  to  admit  Monsieur  Corentin. 


302  An  Historical  Mystery. 

1 '  My  friend,  you  are  a  ver}~  clever  fellow,"  said 
Talleyrand,  "  and  I  wish  to  employ  you." 

"  Monseigneur  —  " 

"Listen.  In  serving  Fouche  }rou  will  get  mone}r, 
but  never  honor  nor  any  position  }*ou  can  acknowledge. 
But  in  serving  me,  as  you  have  lately  done  at  Berlin, 
you  can  win  credit  and  repute." 

"  Monseigneur  is  very  good." 

"  You  displa}Ted  genius  in  that  late  affair  at  Gondre- 
ville." 

"To  what  does  Monseigneur  allude?"  said  Cor- 
entin,  with  a  manner  that  was  neither  too  reserved  nor 
too  surprised. 

"  Ah,  Monsieur  !  "  observed  the  minister,  dryly,  "you 
will  never  make  a  successful  man  ;  you  fear  —  " 

"  What,  monseigneur?" 

"  Death  !  "  replied  Talleyrand,  in  his  fine,  deep  voice. 
"  Adieu,  my  good  friend." 

"  That  is  the  man,"  said  the  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf 
entering  the  room  after  Corentin  was  dismissed;  "but 
we  have  nearly  killed  the  countess." 

"  He  is  the  only  man  I  know  capable  of  pla}*ing  such 
a  trick,"  replied  the  minister.  "  Monsieur  le  marquis, 
you  are  in  danger  of  not  succeeding  in  }our  mission. 
Start  ostensibly  for  Strasburg ;  I '11  send  3-011  double 
passports  in  blank  to  be  filled  out.  Provide  yourself 
with  substitutes  ;  change  your  route  and  above  all  your 


An  Historical  Mystery.  303 

carriage ;  let  }'our  substitutes  go  on  to  Strasburg,  and 
do  3'ou  reach  Prussia  through  Switzerland  and  Bavaria. 
Not  a  word  —  prudence  !  The  police  are  against  you  ; 
and  you  do  not  know  what  the  police  are  —  " 

Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne  offered  the  then  cele- 
brated Robert  Lefebvre  a  sufficient  sum  to  induce  him 
to  go  to  Troyes  and  take  Michu's  portrait.  Monsieur 
de  Grandville  promised  to  afford  the  painter  every  pos- 
sible facility.  Monsieur  de  Chargeboeuf  then  started  in 
the  old  berlingot,  with  Laurence  and  a  servant  who 
spoke  German.  Not  far  from  Nancy  the}'  overtook 
Mademoiselle  Goujet  and  Gothard,  who  had  preceded 
them  in  an  excellent  carriage,  which  the  marquis  took, 
giving  them  in  exchange  the  berlingot. 

Talleyrand  was  right.  At  Strasburg  the  commissary- 
general  of  police  refused  to  countersign  the  passport  of 
the  travellers,  and  gave  them  positive  orders  to  return. 
By  that  time  the  marquis  and  Laurence  were  leaving 
France  by  way  of  Besancon  with  the  diplomatic  pass- 
port. 

Laurence  crossed  Switzerland  in  the  first  days  of 
October,  without  paying  the  slightest  attention  to  that 
glorious  land.  She  la}'  back  in  the  carriage  in  the  torpor 
which  overtakes  a  criminal  on  the  eve  of  his  execution. 
To  her  C3Tes  all  nature  was  shrouded  in  a  seething  vapor  ; 
even  common  things  assumed  fantastic  shapes.  The 
one  thought,   "If  I  do  not  succeed  they  will  kill  them- 


304  An  Historical  Mystery. 

selves,"  fell  upon  her  soul  with  reiterated  blows,  as  the 
bar  of  the  executioner  fell  upon  the  victim's  members 
when  tortured  on  the  wheel.  She  felt  herself  breaking  ; 
she  lost  her  energy  in  this  terrible  waiting  for  the  cruel 
moment,  short  and  decisive,  when  she  should  find  her- 
self face  to  face  with  that  man  on  whom  the  fate  of  the 
condemned  depended.  She  chose  to  yield  to  her  de- 
pression rather  than  waste  her  strength  uselessly.  The 
marquis,  who  was  incapable  of  understanding  this 
resolve  of  firm  minds,  which  often  assumes  quite  diverse 
aspects  (for  in  such  moments  of  tension  certain  superior 
minds  give  wa}7  to  surprising  gayet}7),  began  to  fear  that 
he  might  never  bring  Laurence  alive  to  the  momentous 
interview,  solemn  to  them  only,  and  yet  bej'ond  the 
ordinary  limits  of  private  life.  To  Laurence,  the  neces- 
sity of  humiliating  herself  before  that  man,  the  object 
of  her  hatred  and  contempt,  meant  the  sacrifice  of  all 
her  noblest  feelings. 

"  After  this,"  she  said,  "  the  Laurence  who  survives 
will  bear  no  likeness  to  her  who  is  now  to  perish." 

The  travellers  could  not  fail  to  be  aware  of  the  vast 
movement  of  men  and  material  which  surrounded  them 
the  moment  they  entered  Prussia.  The  campaign  of 
Jena  had  just  begun.  Laurence  and  the  marquis  beheld 
the  magnificent  divisions  of  the  French  army  deploying 
and  parading  as  if  at  the  Tuileries.  In  this  display  of 
military  power,  which  can  be  adequately  described  only 


An  Historical  Mystery.  305 

with  the  words  and  images  of  the  Bible,  the  proportions 
of  the  Man  whose  spirit  moved  these  masses  grew 
gigantic  to  Laurence's  imagination.  Soon,  the  ay  of 
victory  resounded  in  her  ears.  The  Imperial  arms  had 
just  obtained  two  signal  advantages.  The  Prince  of 
Prussia  had  been  killed  the  evening  before  the  da}T  on 
which  the  travellers  arrived  at  Saalfeld  in  their  en- 
deavor to  overtake  Napoleon,  who  was  marching  with 
the  rapidity  of  lightning. 

At  last,  on  the  13th  of  October  (date  of  ill-omen) 
Mademoiselle  d%  Cinq-Cygne  was  skirting  a  river  in 
the  midst  of  the  Grand  Arm}',  seeing  nought  but  con- 
fusion, sent  hither  and  thither  from  one  village  to  an- 
other, from  division  to  division,  frightened  at  finding 
herself  alone  with  one  old  man  tossed  about  in  an  ocean 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  armed  men  facing  a 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  more.  Weary  of  watching 
the  river  through  the  hedges  of  the  mudd}^  road  which 
she  was  following  along  a  hillside,  she  asked  its  name 
of  a  passing  soldier. 

"  That's  the  Saale,"  he  said,  showing  her  the  Prus- 
sian arm}-,  grouped  in  great  masses  on  the  other  side  of 
the  stream. 

Night  came  on.  Laurence  beheld  the  camp-fires 
lighted  and  the  glitter  of  stacked  arms.  The  old  mar- 
quis, wrhose  courage  was  chivalric,  drove  the  horses 
himself  (two  strong  beasts  bought  the  evening  before), 

20 


306  An  Historical  Mystery. 

his  servant  sitting  beside  him.  He  knew  very  well  he 
should  find  neither  horses  nor  postilions  within  the  lines 
of  the  arm y.  Suddenly  the  bold  equipage,  an  object  of 
great  astonishment  to  the  soldiers,  was  stopped  by  a 
gendarme  of  the  military  gendarmerie,  who  galloped  up 
to  the  carriage,  calling  out  to  the  marquis  :  "  Who  are 
you  ?  where  are  y ou  going  ?  what  do  }tou  want  ?  " 

' '  The  Emperor,"  replied  the  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf ; 
' '  I  have  an  important  dispatch  for  the  Grand-marechal 
Duroc." 

"  Well,  you  can't  stay  here,"  said  tl^e  gendarme. 

Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne  and  the  marquis  were, 
however,  compelled  to  remain  where  they  were  on  ac- 
count of  the  darkness. 

"Where  are  we?"  she  asked,  stopping  two  officers 
whom  she  saw  passing,  whose  uniforms  were  concealed 
by  cloth  overcoats. 

'*  You  are  among  the  advanced  guard  of  the  French 
armv,"  answered  one  of  the  officers.  "  You  cannot 
stay  here,  for  if  the  enemy  makes  a  movement  and  the 
artillery  opens  3'ou  will  be  between  two  fires." 

' '  Ah  !  "  she  said,  with  an  indifferent  air. 

Hearing  that  ilAhf"  the  other  officer  turned  and 
said  :  "  How  did  that  woman  come  here?  " 

"  We  are  waiting,"  said  Laurence,  "  for  a  gendarme 
who  has  gone  to  find  General  Duroc,  a  protector  who 
'will  enable  us  to  speak  to  the  Emperor." 


An  Historical  Mystery.  307 

"  Speak  to  the  Emperor !  "  exclaimed  the  first  officer ; 
"  how  can  you  think  of  such  a  thing  —  on  the  eve  of  a 
decisive  battle  ?  " 

"  True,"  she  said  ;  u  I  ought  to  speak  to  him  on  the 
morrow  —  victory  would  make  him  kind." 

The  two  officers  stationed  themselves  at  a  little  dis- 
tance and  sat  motionless  on  their  horses.  The  carriage 
was  now  surrounded  by  a  mass  of  generals,  marshals, 
and  other  officers,  all  extremely  brilliant  in  appearance, 
who  appeared  to  pay  deference  to  the  carriage  merely 
because  it  was  there. 

"  Good  God  !  "  said  the  marquis  to  Mademoiselle  de 
Cinq-Cygne  ;  "  I  am  afraid  you  spoke  to  the  Emperor." 

"  The  Emperor?"  said  a  colonel,  beside  them,  "  why 
there  he  is !  "  pointing  to  the  officer  who  had  said, 
"  How  did  that  woman  get  here?"  He  was  mounted 
on  a  white  horse,  richly  caparisoned,  and  wore  the  cele- 
brated gray  top-coat  over  his  green  uniform.  He  was 
scanning  with  a  field-glass  the  Prussian  arm}'  massed 
be}*ond  the  Saale.  Laurence  understood  then  why  the 
carriage  remained  there,  and  why  the  Emperor's  escort 
respected  it.  She  was  seized  with  a  convulsive  tremor 
—  the  hour  had  come  !  She  heard  the  heav}'  sound  of 
the  tramp  of  men  and  the  clang  of  their  arms  as  they 
arrived  at  a  quick  step  on  the  plateau.  The  batteries 
had  a  language,  the  caissons  thundered,  the  brass 
glittered. 


308  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Marechal  Lannes  will  take  position  with  his  whole 
corps  in  the  advance ;  Marechal  Lefebvre  and  the 
Guard  will  occupy  this  hill,"  said  the  other  officer,  who 
was  Major-general  Berthier. 

The  Emperor  dismounted.  At  his  first  motion  Rous- 
tan,  his  famous  mameluk,  hastened  to  hold  his  horse. 
Laurence  was  stupefied  with  amazement ;  she  had  never 
dreamed  of  such  simplicity. 

"I  shall  pass  the  night  on  the  plateau,"  said  the 
Emperor. 

Just  then  the  Grand-marechal  Duroc,  whom  the 
gendarme  had  finally  found,  came  up  to  the  Marquis  de 
Chargeboeuf  and  asked  the  reason  of  his  coming.  The 
marquis  replied  that  a  letter  from  the  Prince  de  Talley- 
rand, of  which  he  was  bearer,  would  explain  to  the 
marshal  how  urgent  it  was  that  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq- 
Cygne  and  himself  should  obtain  an  audience  of  the 
Emperor. 

"  His  Majesty  will  no  doubt  dine  at  his  bivouac," 
said  Duroc,  taking  the  letter,  "and  when  I  find  out 
what  your  object  is,  I  will  let  you  know  if  }*ou  can  see 
him.  Corporal,"  he  said  to  the  gendarme,  "  accompany 
this  carriage,  and  take  it  close  to  that  hut  at  the  rear." 

Monsieur  de  Chargeboeuf  followed  the  gendarme  and 
stopped  his  horses  behind  a  miserable  cabin,  built  of 
mud  and  branches,  surrounded  by  a  few  fruit-trees,  and 
guarded  by  pickets  of  infantry  and  cavalry. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  309 

It  may  be  said  that  the  majest}'  of  war  appeared  here 
in  all  its  grandeur.  From  this  height  the  lines  of  the 
two  armies  were  visible  in  the  moonlight.  After  an 
hour's  waiting,  the  time  being  occupied  by  the  incessant 
coming  and  going  of  the  aides-de-camp,  Duroc  himself 
came  for  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne  and  the  marquis, 
and  made  them  enter  the  hut,  the  floor  of  which  was  of 
battened  earth  like  that  of  a  stable. 

Before  a  table  with  the  remains  of  dinner,  and  before 
a  fire  made  of  green  wood  which  smoked,  Napoleon 
was  seated  in  a  clumsy  chair.  His  muddy  boots  gave 
evidence  of  a  long  tramp  across  countiy.  He  had 
taken  off  the  famous  top-coat ;  and  his  equally  famous 
green  uniform,  crossed  by  the  red  cordon  of  the  Legion 
of  honor  and  heightened  by  the  white  of  his  kersey- 
mere breeches  and  of  his  waistcoat,  brought  out  vividly 
his  pale  and  terrible  Caesarian  face./  One  hand  was 
on  a  map  which  lay  unfolded  on  his  knees.  Berthier 
stood  near  him  in  the  brilliant  uniform  of  the  vice- 
constable  of  the  Empire.  Constant,  the  valet,  waa 
offering  the  Emperor  his  coffee  from  a  tray. 

"  What  do  you  want?"  said  Napoleon,  with  a  show 
of  roughness,  darting  his  eye  like  a  flash  through  Lau- 
rence's head.  "You  are  no  longer  afraid  to  speak  to 
me  before  the  battle?    What  is  it  about?" 

"  Sire,"  she  said,  looking  at  him  with  as  firm  an  eye, 
"lam  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne." 


310  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"  Well?"  he  replied,  in  an  angry  voice,  thinking  her 
look  braved  him. 

"Do  you  not  understand?  I  am  the  Comtesse  de 
Cinq-Cygne,  come  to  ask  mercy,"  she  said,  falling  on 
her  knees  and  holding  out  to  him  the  petition  drawn  up 
by  Talleyrand,  endorsed  by  the  Empress,  by  Cambaceres 
and  by  Malin. 

The  Emperor  raised  her  graciously,  and  said  with 
a  keen  look :  i  *  Have  you  come  to  j'our  senses  ?  Do 
you  now  understand  what  the  French  Empire  is  and 
must  be?  " 

"  Ah !  at  this  moment  I  understand  only  the  Empe- 
ror," she  said,  vanquished  by  the  kindly  manner  with 
which  the  man  of  destiny  had  said  the  words  that  fore- 
told to  her  ears  success. 

"Are  they  innocent?  "  asked  the  Emperor. 

"  Yes,  all  of  them,"  she  said  with  enthusiasm. 

"All?  No,  that  bailiff  is  a  dangerous  man,  who 
would  have  killed  my  senator  without  taking  your 
advice." 

"Ah,  Sire,"  she  said,  "  if  you  had  a  friend  devoted 
to  you,  would  you  abandon  him?  Would  you  not 
rather  —  " 

"You  are  a  woman,"  he  said,  interrupting  her  in  a 
faint  tone  of  ridicule. 

"  And  you,  a  man  of  iron !  "  she  replied  with  a  pas- 
sionate sternness  which  pleased  him. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  311 

uTliar  man  has  been  condemned  to  death  by  the 
laws  of  his  country,"  he  continued. 

"  But  he  is  innocent !  " 

44  Child!"  he  said. 

He  took  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C}Tgne  by  the  hand 
and  led  her  from  the  hut  to  the  plateau. 

"  See,"  he  continued,  with  that  eloquence  of  his 
which  changed  even  cowards  to  brave  men,  "  see  those 
three  hundred  thousand  men  —  all  innocent.  And 
yet  to-morrow  thirty  thousand  of  them  will  be  lying 
dead,  dead  for  their  country  !  Among  those  Prussians 
there  is,  perhaps,  some  great  mathematician,  a  man  of 
genius,  an  idealist,  who  will  be  mown  down.  On  our 
side  we  shall  assuredly  lose  many  a  great  man  never 
known  to  fame.  Perhaps  even  I  shall  see  my  best 
friend  die.  Shall  I  blame  God  ?  No.  I  shall  bear  it 
silently.  Learn  from  this,  mademoiselle,  that  a  man 
must  die  for  the  laws  of  his  country  just  as  men  die 
here  for  her  glory."  So  saying,  he  led  her  back  into 
the  hut.  "  Return  to  France,"  he  said,  looking  at  the 
marquis ;  "  my  orders  shall  follow  }Tou." 

Laurence  believed  in  a  commutation  of  Michu's  pun- 
ishment, and  in  her  gratitude  she  knelt  again  before 
the  Emperor  and  kissed  his  hand. 

"  You  are  the  Marquis  de  Chargeboeuf  ? "  said  Napo- 
leon, addressing  the  marquis. 

14  Yes,  Sire." 


312  An  Historical  Mystery, 

1 '  You  have  children  ?  " 

"  Many  children." 

4 '  Why  not  give  me  one  of  your  grandsons  ?  he  shall 
be  my  page." 

"Ah!"  thought  Laurence,  "there's  the  sub-lieu- 
tenant after  all ;  he  wants  to  be  paid  for  his  mercy." 

The  marquis  bowed  without  replying.  Happily  at 
this  moment  General  Rapp  rushed  into  the  hut. 

"  Sire,  the  cavalry  of  the  Guard,  and  that  of  the 
Grand-due  de   Berg  cannot  be  up  before  midday  to- 


morrow." 


a 


Never  mind,"  said  Napoleon,  turning  to  Berthier, 
"  we,  too,  get  our  reprieves;   let  us  profit  by  them." 

At  a  sign  of  his  hand  the  marquis  and  Laurence  re- 
tired and  again  entered  their  carriage ;  the  corporal 
showed  them  their  road  and  accompanied  them  to  a 
village  where  they  passed  the  night.  The  next  day 
they  left  the  field  of  battle  behind  them,  followed  by 
the  thunder  of  the  cannon,  —  eight  hundred  pieces,  — 
which  pursued  them  for  ten  hours.  While  still  on  their 
wa}'  they  learned  of  the  amazing  victor}7  of  Jena. 

Eight  days  later,  they  were  driving  through  the  fau- 
bourg of  Troyes,  where  they  learned  that  an  order  of 
the  chief  justice,  transmitted  through  the  procureur 
imperial  of  Ti'03'es,  commanded  the  release  of  the  four 
gentlemen  on  bail  during  the  Emperor's  pleasure.  But 
Michu's  sentence  was  confirmed,  and  the  warrant  for  his 


An  Historical  Mystery,  313 

execution  had  been  forwarded  from  the  ministry  of 
police.  These  orders  had  reached  Troves  that  very 
morning.  Laurence  went  at  once  to  the  prison,  though 
it  was  two  in  the  morning,  and  obtained  permission  to 
stay  with  Michu,  who  was  about  to  undergo  the  melan- 
choly ceremony  called  "the  toilet."  The  good  abbe, 
who  had  asked  permission  to  accompany  him  to  the 
scaffold,  had  just  given  absolution  to  the  man,  whose 
only  distress  in  dying  was  his  uncertainty  as  to  the  fate 
of  his  3'oung  masters.  When  Laurence  entered  his  cell 
he  uttered  a  cry  of  joy. 

44  I  can  die  now,"  he  said. 

"  They  are  pardoned,"  she  said  ;  "  I  do  not  know  on 
what  conditions,  but  they  are  pardoned.  I  did  all  I 
could  for  you,  dear  friend  —  against  the  advice  of 
others.  I  thought  I  had  saved  you  ;  but  the  Emperor 
deceived  me  with  his  graciousness." 

44  It  was  written  above,"  said  Michu,  "  that  the 
watch-dog  should  be  killed  on  the  spot  where  his  old 
masters  died." 

The  last  hour  passed  rapidly.  Michu,  at  the  moment 
of  parting,  asked  to  kiss  her  hand,  but  Laurence  held 
her  cheek  to  the  lips  of  the  noble  victim  that  he  might 
sacredly  kiss  it.     Michu  refused  to  mount  the  cart. 

44  Innocent  men  should  go  afoot,"  he  said. 

He  would  not  let  the  abbe  give  him  his  arm  ;  reso- 
lutely and  with  dignity  he  walked  alone  to  the  scaffold. 


314  An  Historical  Mystery. 

As  he  laid  his  head  on  the  plank  he  said  to  the  exe- 
cutioner, after  asking  him  to  turn  down  the  collar  of 
his  coat,  "  My  clothes  belong  to  you ;  try  not  to  spot 
them." 

The  four  gentlemen  had  scarcely  time  to  even  see 
Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne.  An  orderly  of  the 
general  commanding  the  division  to  which  they  were 
assigned,  brought  them  their  commissions  as  sub-lieu- 
tenants in  the  same  regiment  of  cavalry,  with  orders 
to  proceed  at  once  to  Bayonne,  the  base  of  supplies 
for  its  particular  army-corps.  After  a  scene  of  heart- 
rending farewells,  for  they  all  foreboded  what  the 
future  should  bring  forth,  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C}Tgne 
returned  to  her  desolate  home. 

The  two  brothers  were  killed  together  under  the  eyes 
of  the  Emperor  at  Sommo-Sierra,  the  one  defending 
the  other,  both  being  already  in  command  of  their 
troop.  The  last  words  of  each  were,  "  Laurence,  cy 
meurs  !  " 

The  elder  d'Hauteserre  died  a  colonel  at  the  attack 
on  the  redoubt  at  Moscow,  where  his  brother  took  his 
place. 

Adrien  d'Hauteserre,  appointed  brigadier-general  at 
the  battle  of  Dresden,  was  dangerously  wounded  there 
and  was  sent  to  Cinq-Cygne  for  proper  nursing.  While 
endeavoring  to  save  this  relic  of  the  four  gentlemen 


An  Historical  Mystery.  315 

who  for  a  few  brief  months  had  been  so  happy  around 
her,  Laurence,  then  thirty-two  }ears  of  age,  married 
him.  She  offered  him  a  withered  heart,  but  he  ac- 
cepted it ;  those  who  truly  love  doubt  nothing  or 
doubt  all. 

The  Restoration  found  Laurence  without  enthusiasm. 
The  Bourbons  returned  too  late  for  her.  Nevertheless, 
she  had  no  cause  for  complaint.  Her  husband,  made 
peer  of  France  with  the  title  of  Marquis  de  Cinq-Cygne, 
became  lieutenant-general  in  1816,  and  was  rewarded 
with  the  blue  ribbon  for  the  eminent  services  which  he 
then  performed. 

Michu's  son,  of  whom  Laurence  took  care  as  though 
he  were  her  own  child,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1817. 
After  practising  two  years  he  was  made  assistant-judge 
at  the  court  of  AlenQon,  and  from  there  he  became 
procureur-du-roi  at  Arcis  in  1827.  Laurence,  who  had 
also  taken  charge  of  Michu's  property,  made  over  to 
the  young  man  on  the  day  of  his  majority  an  investment 
in  the  public  Funds  which  yielded  him  an  income  of 
twelve  thousand  francs  a  year.  Later,  she  arranged  a 
marriage  for  him  with  Mademoiselle  Girel,  an  heiress 
at  Troyes. 

The  Marquis  de  Cinq-C}'gne  died  in  1829,  in  the  arms 
of  his  wife,  surrounded  by  his  father  and  mother,  and 
his  children  who  adored  him.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
no  one  had  ever  fathomed  the  mystery  of  the  senator's 


316  An  Historical  Mystery, 

abduction.  Louis  XVIII.  did  not  neglect  to  repair,  as 
far  as  possible,  the  wrongs  done  by  that  affair ;  but  he 
was  silent  as  to  the  causes  of  the  disaster.  From  that 
time  forth  the  Marquise  de  Cinq-Cj'gne  believed  him 
to  have  been  an  accomplice  in  the  catastrophe. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  317 


XX. 

THE  MYSTERY  SOLVED. 

The  late  Marquis  de  Cinq-C}'gne  had  used  his  sav- 
ings, as  well  as  those  of  his  father  and  mother,  in  the 
purchase  of  a  fine  house  in  the  rue  du  Faubourg-du- 
Roule,  entailing  it  on  heirs  male  for  the  support  of  the 
title.  The  sordid  economy  of  the  marquis  and  his 
parents,  which  had  often  troubled  Laurence,  was  then 
explained.  After  this  purchase  the  marquise,  who  lived 
at  Cinq-Cygne  and  economized  on  her  own  account 
for  her  children,  spent  her  winters  in  Paris,  —  all  the 
more  willingly  because  her  daughter  Berthe  and  her  son 
Paul  were  now  of  an  age  when  their  education  required 
the  resources  of  Paris. 

Madame  de  Cinq-C3Tgne  went  but  little  into  societ}\ 
Her  husband  could  not  be  ignorant  of  the  regrets  which 
lay  in  her  tender  heart ;  but  he  showed  her  always  the 
most  exquisite  delicacy,  and  died  having  loved  no  other 
woman.  This  noble  soul,  not  fulty  understood  for  a 
period  of  time  but  to  which  the  generous  daughter  of 
the  Cinq-Cygnes  returned  in  his  last  3-ears  as  true  a 
love  as  that  he  gave  to  her,  was  completely  happy  in 
his  married  life.     Laurence  lived  for  the  joys  of  home. 


318  An  Historical  Mystery. 

No  woman  in  Paris  has  ever  been  more  cherished  by 
her  friends  or  more  respected.  To  be  received  in  her 
house  is  an  honor.  Gentle,  indulgent,  intellectual, 
above  all  things  simple  and  natural,  she  pleases  choice 
souls  and  draws  them  to  her  in  spite  of  her  saddened 
aspect;  each  longs  to  protect  this  woman,  inwardly  so 
strong,  and  that  sentiment  of  secret  protection  counts 
for  much  in  the  wondrous  charm  of  her  friendship. 
Her  life,  so  painful  during  her  3*011  th,  is  beautiful  and 
serene  towards  evening.  Her  sufferings  are  known, 
and  no  one  asks  who  was  the  original  of  that  portrait 
by  Lefebvre  which  is  the  chief  and  sacred  ornament  of 
her  salon.  Her  face  has  the  maturity  of  fruits  that 
have  ripened  slowly  ;  a  hallowed  pride  dignifies  that 
long-tried  brow. 

At  the  period  when  the  marquise  came  to  Paris  tc 
open  the  new  house,  her  fortune,  increased  by  the  law 
of  indemnities,  gave  her  some  two  hundred  thousand 
francs  a  year,  not  counting  her  husband's  salaiy ; 
besides  this,  Laurence  had  inherited  the  money  guarded 
by  Michu  for  his  young  masters.  From  that  time  forth 
she  made  a  practice  of  spending  half  her  income  and  of 
laying  by  the  rest  for  her  daughter  Berthe. 

Berthe  is  the  living  ima^e  of  her  mother,  but  without 
her  warrior  nerve ;  she  is  her  mother  in  delicac}',  in 
intellect,  —  "more  a  woman,"  Laurence  sa3rs,  sadly. 
The  marquise  was  not  willing  to  marry  her  daughter 


An  Historical   Mystery.  319 

until  she  was  twenty  years  of  age.  Her  savings,  judi- 
ciously invested  in  the  Funds  by  old  Monsieur  d'Haute- 
serre  at  the  moment  when  consols  fell  in  1830,  gave 
Berthe  a  dowry  of  eighty  thousand  francs  a  \-ear  in 
1833,  when  she  was  twenty. 

About  that  time  the  Princesse  de  Cadignan,  who  was 
seeking  to  marry  her  son,  the  Due  de  Maufrigneuse, 
brought  him  into  intimate  relations  with  Madame  de 
Cinq-Cygne.  Georges  de  Maufrigneuse  dined  with  the 
marquise  three  times  a  week,  accompanied  the  mother 
and  daughter  to  the  Opera,  and  curvetted  in  the  Bois 
around  their  carriage  when  they  drove  out.  It  was  evi- 
dent to  all  the  world  of  the  Faubourg  Saint-Germain 
that  Georges  loved  Berthe.  But  no  one  could  discover 
to  a  certainty  whether  Madame  de  Cinq-Cygne  was 
desirous  of  making  her  daughter  a  duchess,  to  become 
a  princess  later,  or  whether  it  was  only  the  princess 
who  coveted  for  her  son  the  splendid  dowry.  Did  the 
celebrated  Diane  court  the  noble  provincial  house?  and 
was  the  daughter  of  the  Cinq-C}-gnes  frightened  by  the 
celebrity  of  Madame  de  Cadignan,  her  tastes  and  her 
ruinous  extravagance?  In  her  strong  desire  not  to  in- 
jure her  son's  prospects  the  princess  grew  devout,  shut 
the  door  on  her  former  life,  and  spent  the  summer  sea- 
son at  Geneva  in  a  villa  on  the  lake. 

One  evening  there  were  present  in  the  salon  of  the 
Princesse  de  Cadignan,  the  Marquise  d'Espard,  and  de 


320  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Marsay,  then  president  of  the  Council  (on  this  occa- 
sion the  princess  saw  her  former  lover  for  the  last  time, 
for  he  died  the  following  3'ear),  Eugene  de  Rastignac, 
under-secretary  of  State  attached  to  de  Marsay's  min- 
istry, two  ambassadors,  two  celebrated  orators  from  the 
Chamber  of  Peers,  the  old  dukes  of  Lenoncourt  and 
de  Navarreins,  the  Comte  de  Vandenesse  and  his  young 
wife,  and  d'Arthez, — who  formed  a  rather  singular 
circle,  the  composition  of  which  can  be  thus  explained. 
The  princess  was  anxious  to  obtain  from  the  prime 
minister  of  the  crown  a  permit  for  the  return  of  the 
Prince  de  Cadignan.  De  Marsa}7,  who  did  not  choose 
to  take  upon  himself  the  responsibilit}*  of  granting  it 
came  to  tell  the  princess  the  matter  had  been  entrusted 
to  safe  hands,  and  that  a  certain  political  manager  had 
promised  to  bring  her  the  result  in  the  course  of  that 
evening. 

Madame  and  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-Cygne  were  an- 
nounced. Laurence,  whose  principles  were  unyielding, 
was  not  only  surprised  but  shocked  to  see  the  most 
illustrious  representatives  of  Legitimacy  talking  and 
laughing  in  a  friendly  manner  with  the  prime  minister 
of  the  man  whom  she  never  called  anything  but  Mon- 
seigneur  le  Due  d'Orleans.  De  Marsaj',  like  an  expir- 
ing lamp,  shone  with  a  last  brilliancy.  He  laid  aside 
for  the  moment  his  political  anxieties,  and  Madame  de 
Cinq-Cygne  endured  him,  as  they  say  the  Court  of  Aus- 


An  Historical  Mystery.  321 

tria  endured  de  Saint- Aulaire  ;  the  man  of  the  world 
effaced  the  minister  of  the  citizen-king.  But  she  rose 
to  her  feet  as  though  her  chair  were  of  red-hot  iron 
when  the  name  was  announced  of  ' '  Monsieur  le  Comte 
de  Gondreville." 

"  Adieu,  madame,"  she  said  to  the  princess  in  a  curt 
tone. 

She  left  the  room  with  Berthe,  measuring  her  steps  to 
avoid  encountering  that  fatal  being. 

"You  may  have  caused  the  loss  of  Georges'  mar- 
riage," said  the  princess  to  de  Marsay,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  your  agent's  name?" 

The  former  clerk  of  Arcis,  former  Conventional, 
former  Thermidorien,  tribune,  Councillor  of  State, 
count  of  the  Empire  and  senator,  peer  of  the  Restora- 
tion, and  now  peer  of  the  monarch}7  of  July,  made  a 
servile  bow  to  the  princess. 

" Fear  nothing,  madame,"  he  said  ;  "we  have  ceased 
to  make  war  on  princes.  I  bring  you  an  assurance  of 
the  permit,"  he  added,  seating  himself  beside  her. 

Malin  was  long  in  the  confidence  of  Louis  XVIII.,  to 
whom  his  varied  experience  was  useful.  He  had  greatly 
aided  in  overthrowing  Decazes,  and  had  given  much 
good  advice  to  the  ministry  of  Villele.  Coldly  received 
by  Charles  X.,  he  had  adopted  all  the  rancors  of  Talley- 
rand. He  was  now  in  high  favor  under  the  twelfth  gov- 
ernment he  had  served  since  1789,  and  which  in  turn  he 

21 


322  An  Historical  Mystery. 

would  doubtless  betray.  For  the  last  fifteen  months  he 
had  broken  the  long  friendship  which  had  bound  him 
for  thirty-six  years  to  our  greatest  diplomat,  the  Prince 
de  Talleyrand.  It  was  in  the  course  of  this  very  even- 
ing that  he  made  answer  to  some  one  who  asked  why 
the  Prince  showed  such  hostility  to  the  Due  de  Bor- 
deaux, "  The  Pretender  is  too  young  !  " 

"Singular   advice   to   give  young   men,"   remarked 
Rastignac. 

De  Marsay,  who  grew  thoughtful  after  Madame  de 
Cadignan's  reproachful  speech,  took  no  notice  of  these 
jests.  He  looked  askance  at  de  Gondreville  and  was 
evidently  biding  his  time  until  that  now  old  man,  who 
went  to  bed  early,  had  taken  leave.  All  present,  who 
had  witnessed  the  abrupt  departure  of  Madame  de 
Cinq-Cygne  (whose  reasons  were  well-known  to  them), 
imitated  de  Marsay 's  conduct  and  kept  silence.  Gon- 
dreville, who  had  not  recognized  the  marquise,  was 
ignorant  of  the  cause  of  the  general  reticence,  but  the 
habit  of  dealing  with  public  matters  had  given  him  a 
certain  tact ;  he  was  moreover  a  clever  man ;  he  saw 
that  his  presence  was  embarrassing  to  the  company  and 
he  took  leave.  De  Marsay,  standing  with  his  back  to 
the  fire,  watched  the  slow  departure  of  the  old  man  in  a 
manner  which  revealed  the  gravity  of  his  thoughts. 

"  I  did  wrong,  madame,  not  to  tell  you  the  name  of 
my  negotiator,"  said  the  prime  minister,  listening  for 


An  Historical  Mystery.  323 

the  sound  of  Malin's  wheels  as  the}'  rolled  away.  "  But 
I  will  redeem  my  fault  and  give  3*011  the  means  of  mak- 
ing your  peace  with  the  Cinq-Cygnes.  It  is  now  thirty 
3Tears  since  the  affair  I  am  about  to  speak  of  took  place  ; 
it  is  as  old  to  the  present  day  as  the  death  of  Henri  IV. 
(which  between  ourselves  and  in  spite  of  the  proverb  is 
still  a  nrvstery,  like  so  many  other  historical  catas- 
trophes). I  can,  however,  assure  }~ou  that  even  if  this 
affair  did  not  concern  Madame  de  Cinq-Cygne  it  would 
be  none  the  less  curious  and  interesting.  Moreover,  it 
throws  light  on  a  celebrated  exploit  in  our  modern  an- 
nals, —  I  mean  that  of  the  Mont  Saint-Bernard.  Mes- 
sieurs les  Ambassadeurs,"  he  added,  bowing  to  the  two 
diplomats,  "  will  see  that  in  the  element  of  profound 
intrigue  the  political  men  of  the  present  day  are  far 
behind  the  Machiavellis  whom  the  waves  of  the  popular 
will  lifted,  in  1793,  above  the  storm,  —  some  of  whom 
have  '  found,'  as  the  old  song  says,  '  a  haven.'  To  be 
anything  in  France  in  these  days  a  man  must  have  been 
tossed  in  those  tempests." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  the  princess,  smiling,  "  that 
from  that  point  of  view  the  present  state  of  things  under 
3'our  regime  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired." 

A  well-bred  laugh  went  round  the  room,  and  even  the 
prime  minister  himself  could  not  help  smiling.  The 
ambassadors  seemed  impatient  for  the  tale  ;  de  Marsa}r 
coughed  dryly  and  silence  was  obtained. 


324  An  Historical  Mystery, 

"  On  a  June  night  in  1800,"  began  the  minister,  "  about 
three  in  the  morning,  just  as  dajiight  was  beginning  to 
pale  the  brilliancy  of  the  wax  candles,  two  men  tired  of 
playing  at  bouillotte  (or  who  were  playing  merely  to 
keep  others  employed)  left  the  salon  of  the  ministry 
of  foreign  affairs,  then  situated  in  the  rue  du  Bac,  and 
went  apart  into  a  boudoir.  These  two  men,  of  whom 
one  is  dead  and  the  other  has  one  foot  in  the  grave, 
were,  each  in  his  own  way,  equally  extraordinary. 
Both  had  been  priests ;  both  had  abjured  religion ; 
both  were  married.  One  had  been  merely  an  Oratorian, 
the  other  had  worn  the  mitre  of  a  bishop.  The  first 
was  named  Fouche ;  I  shall  not  tell  jon  the  name  of 
the  second  ; '  both  were  then  mere  simple  citizens  — 
with  very  little  simplicity.  When  they  were  seen  to 
leave  the  salon  and  enter  the  boudoir,  the  rest  of  the 
company  present  showed  a  certain  curiosit}T.  A  third 
person  followed  them,  —  a  man  who  thought  himself  far 
stronger  than  the  other  two.  His  name  was  Sieyes, 
and  you  all  know  that  he  too  had  been  a  priest  before 
the  Revolution.  The  one  who  walked  icith  difficulty 
was  then  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs ;  Fouche  was 
minister  of  police  ;  Sieyes  had  resigned  the  consulate. 

"A  small  man,  cold  and  stern  in  appearance,  left 
his  seat  and  followed  the  three  others,  saying  aloud  in 

1  Talleyrand  was  still  living  when  de  Marsay  related  these 
circumstances. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  325 

the  hearing  of  the  person  from  whom  I  have  the  infor- 
mation, '  I  mistrust  the  gambling  of  priests.'  This 
man  was  Carnot,  minister  of  war.  His  remark  did  not 
trouble  the  two  consuls  who  were  playing  cards  in  the 
salon.  Cambaceres  and  Lebrun  were  then  at  the  mercy 
of  their  ministers,  men  who  were  infinitely  stronger 
than  they. 

"  Nearly  all  these  statesmen  are  dead,  and  no  secrecy 
is  due  to  them.  They  belong  to  historj' ;  and  the  his- 
tory of  that  night  and  its  consequences  has  been  terrible. 
I  tell  it  to  you  now  because  I  alone  know  it ;  because 
Louis  XVIII.  never  revealed  the  truth  to  that  poor 
Madame  de  Cinq-Cygne  ;  and  because  the  present  gov- 
ernment which  I  serve  is  wholly  indifferent  as  to 
whether  that  truth  be  known  to  the  world  or  not. 

"  All  four  of  these  personages  sat  down  in  the  boudoir. 
The  lame  man  undoubtedly  closed  the  door  before  a 
word  was  said  ;  it  is  even  thought  that  he  ran  the  bolt. 
It  is  only  persons  of  high  rank  who  pa}T  attention  to 
such  trifles.  The  three  priests  had  the  livid,  im- 
passible faces  which  }rou  all  remember.  Carnot  alone 
was  ruddy.  He  was  the  first  to  speak.  '  What  is  the 
point  to  be  discussed?'  he  asked.  'France,'  must 
have  been  the  answer  of  the  Prince  (whom  I  admire  as 
one  of  the  most  extraordinary  men  of  our  time).  '  The 
Republic,'  undoubtedly  said  Fouche.  'Power'  prob- 
ably said  Sieyes." 


326  An  Historical  Mystery. 

All  present  looked  at  each  other.  With  voice,  look, 
and  gesture  de  Marsay  had  wonderfully  represented  the 
three  men. 

"The  three  priests  fully  understood  one  another," 
he  continued,  resuming  his  narrative.  "  Carnot  no 
doubt  looked  at  his  colleagues  and  the  ex-consul  in  a 
dignified  manner.  He  must,  however,  have  felt  bewil- 
dered in  his  own  mind. 

"'Do  you  believe  in  the  success  of  the  army?' 
Sieyes  said  to  him. 

"'We  may  expect  everything  from  Bonaparte/  re- 
plied the  minister  of  war ;  '  he  has  crossed  the  Alps.' 

"'At  this  moment,'  said  the  minister  of  foreign 
affairs,  with  deliberate  slowness,  '  he  is  pla}'ing  his  last 
stake.' 

"  *  Come,  let 's  speak  out,'  said  Fouche  ;  '  what  shall 
we  do  if  the  First  Consul  is  defeated?  Is  it  possible  to 
collect  another  army?  Must  we  continue  his  humble 
servants  ? ' 

"'There  is  no  republic  now,'  remarked  Sie}Tes ; 
*  Bonaparte  is  consul  for  ten  j-ears.' 

"  '  He  has  more  power  than  ever  Cromwell  had,'  said 
the  former  bishop,  '  and  he  did  not  vote  for  the  death 
of  the  king.' 

"  '  We  have  a  master,'  said  Fouche  ;  '  the  question 
is,  shall  we  continue  to  keep  him  if  he  loses  the  battle 
or  shall  we  return  to  a  pure  republic  ? ' 


An  Historical  Mystery.  327 

44  '  France,' replied  Carnot,  sententiously,  '  cannot  re- 
sist except  she  reverts  to  the  old  Conventional  energy.' 

44  4 1  agree  with  Carnot,'  said  Sieyes  ;  '  if  Bonaparte 
returns  defeated  we  must  put  an  end  to  him  ;  he  has  let 
us  know  him  too  well  during  the  last  seven  months.' 

44  'The  army  is  for  him/  remarked  Carnot,  thought- 
fully. 

44  4  And  the  people  for  us  ! '  cried  Fouche. 

444  You  go  fast,  monsieur,'  said  the  Prince,  in  that 
deep  bass  voice  which  he  still  preserves  and  which  now 
drove  Fouche  back  into  himself. 

44  4  Be  frank,'  said  a  voice,  as  a  former  Conventional 
rose  from  a  corner  of  the  boudoir  and  showed  himself; 
'  if  Bonaparte  returns  a  victor,  we  shall  adore  him  ;  if 
vanquished,  we  '11  bury  him  !  ' 

44  4  So  you  were  there,  Malin,  were  you?  '  said  the 
Prince,  without  betraying  the  least  feeling.  4  Then 
you  must  be  one  of  us  ;  sit  down  ; '  and  he  made  him 
a  sign  to  be  seated. 

44  It  is  to  this  one  circumstance  that  Malin,  a  Conven- 
tional of  small  repute,  owes  the  position  he  afterwards 
obtained  and,  ultimately,  that  in  which  we  see  him  at  the 
present  moment.  He  proved  discreet,  and  the  minis- 
ters were  faithful  to  him  ;  but  the}-  made  him  the  pivot 
of  the  machine  and  the  cat's-paw  of  the  machination. 
To  return  to  my  tale. 

44  4  Bonaparte  has  never  yet  been  vanquished,'  cried 


328  An  Historical  Mystery. 

Carnot,  in  a  tone  of  conviction,  '  and  he  has  just  sur- 
passed Hannibal.' 

"  'If  the  worst  happens,  here  is  the  Director}','  said 
Sieves,  artfully,  indicating  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  the 
five  persons  present. 

"  '  And,'  added  the  Prince,  '  we  are  all  committed  to 
the  maintenance  of  the  French  republic ;  we  three 
priests  have  literally  unfrocked  ourselves  ;  the  general, 
here,  voted  for  the  death  of  the  king  ;  and  you,'  he  said, 
turning  to  Malin,  '  have  got  possession  of  the  property 
of  Emigres' 

"  'Yes,  we  have  all  the  same  interests,'  said  Sie}'es, 
dictatorially,  '  and  our  interests  are  one  with  those  of 
the  nation.' 

"  '  A  rare  thing,'  said  the  Prince,  smiling. 

"  '  We  must  act,'  interrupted  Fouche.  '  In  all  prob- 
ability the  battle  is  now  going  on ;  the  Austrians  out- 
number us ;  Genoa  has  surrendered ;  Massena  has 
committed  the  great  mistake  of  embarking  for  Antibes  ; 
it  is  ver}T  doubtful  if  he  can  rejoin  Bonaparte,  who  will 
then  be  reduced  to  his  own  resources.' 

"  '  Who  gave  you  that  news  ? '  asked  Carnot. 

"  '  It  is  sure,'  replied  Fouche.  '  You  will  have  the 
courier  when  the  Bourse  opens/ 

"Those  men  didn't  mince   their   words,"    said   de 
Marsa}',  smiling,  and  stopping  short  for  a  moment. 
Remember,'  continued  Fouche,  '  it  is  not  when  the 


U     i. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  329 

news  of  a  disaster  comes  that  we  can  organize  clubs, 
rouse  the  patriotism  of  the  people,  and  change  the  con- 
stitution. Our  18th  Brumaire  ought  to  be  prepared 
beforehand.' 

' '  '  Let  us  leave  the  care  of  that  to  the  minister  of 
police,'  said  the  Prince,  bowing  to  Fouche,  '  and  beware 
ourselves  of  Lucien.'  (Lucien  Bonaparte  was  then 
minister  of  the  interior.) 

"  i  I  '11  arrest  him,'  said  Fouche. 

"  '  Messieurs  ! '  cried  Sieves,  '  our  Directory  ought 
not  to  be  subject  to  anarchical  changes.  We  must 
organize  a  government  of  the  few,  a  Senate  for  life, 
and  an  elective  chamber  the  control  of  which  shall  be 
in  our  hands  ;  for  we  ought  to  profit  by  the  blunders  of 
the  past.' 

414  With  such  a  system,  there  would  be  peace  for 
me,'  remarked  the  ex-bishop. 

"  '  Find  me  a  sure  man  to  negotiate  with  Moreau ; 
for  the  Army  of  the  Rhine  will  be  our  sole  resource,' 
cried  Carnot,  who  had  been  plunged  in  meditation. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  de  Marsay,  pausing,  "  those  men  were 
right.  They  were  grand  in  this  crisis.  I  should  have 
done  as  they  did  ; "   then  he  resumed  his  narrative. 

" '  Messieurs ! '  cried  Sieyes,  in  a  grave  and  solemn 
tone. 

"  That  word  '  Messieurs  ! '  was  perfectly  understood 
by  all  present ;   all  eyes  expressed  the  same  faith,  the 


330  An  Historical  Mystery. 

same  promise;  that  of  absolute  silence,  and  unswerving 
loyalty  to  each  other  in  case  the  First  Consul  returned 
triumphant. 

"  '  We  all  know  what  we  have  to  do/  added  Fouche. 

"  Sieves  softly  unbolted  the  door;  his  priestly  ear 
had  warned  him.     Lucien  entered  the  room. 

"  4  Good  news  ! '  he  said.  '  A  courier  has  just  brought 
Madame  Bonaparte  a  line  from  the  First  Consul.  The 
campaign  has  opened  with  a  victory  at  Montebello.' 

The  three  ministers  exchanged  looks. 

"  *  Was  it  a  general  engagement  ?  '    asked  Carnot. 

"  i  No,  a  fight,  in  which  Lannes  has  covered  himself 
with  glory.  The  affair  was  bloody.  Attacked  with  ten 
thousand  men  by  eighteen  thousand,  he  was  only  saved 
by  a  division  sent  to  his  support.  Ott  is  in  full  retreat. 
The  Austrian  line  is  broken.' 

"  '  When  did  the  fight  take  place? '  asked  Carnot. 

"  *  On  the  8th,'  replied  Lucien. 

"  '  And  this  is  the  13th/  said  the  sagacious  minister. 
4  Well,  if  that  is  so,  the  destinies  of  France  are  in  the 
scale  at  the  very  moment  we  are  speaking.' " 

(In  fact,  the  battle  of  Marengo  did  begin  at  dawn  of 
the  14th.) 

44  '  Four  days  of  fatal  uncertainty  ! '  said  Lucien. 

44  *  Fatal?  '  said  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  coldly 
and  interrogatively. 

"  '  Four  days,'  echoed  Fouche. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  331 

"  An  e}Te-witness  told  me,"  said  de  Marsaj",  continu- 
ing the  narrative  in  his  own  person,  "  that  the  consuls, 
Cambaceres  and  Lebrun,  knew  nothing  of  this  momen- 
tous news  until  after  the  six  personages  returned  to  the 
salon.  It  was  then  four  in  the  morning.  Fouche  left 
first.  That  man  of  dark  and  mysterious  genius,  ex- 
traordinary, profound,  and  little  understood,  but  who 
undoubtedly  had  the  gifts  of  a  Philip  the  Second,  a 
Tiberius  and  a  Borgia,  went  at  once  to  work  with  an 
infernal  and  secret  activity.  His  conduct  at  the  time 
of  the  affair  at  Walcheren  was  that  of  a  consummate 
soldier,  a  great  politician,  a  far-seeing  administrator. 
He  was  the  only  real  minister  that  Napoleon  ever  had. 
And  }'Ou  all  know  how  he  then  alarmed  him." 

"  Fouche,  Massena  and  the  Prince,"  continued  de 
Marsa}r,  reflectively,  are  the  three  greatest  men,  the 
wisest  heads  in  diplomac}',  war,  and  government,  that 
I  have  ever  known.  If  Napoleon  had  frankly  allied 
them  with  his  work  there  would  no  longer  be  a  Europe, 
only  a  vast  French  Empire.  Fouche  did  not  finally 
detach  himself  from  Napoleon  until  he  saw  Sie}Tes  and 
the  Prince  de  Talleyrand  shoved  aside. 

"  He  now  went  to  work,  and  in  three  days  (all  the 
while  hiding  the  hand  that  stirred  the  ashes  of  the  Mon- 
tagne)  he  had  organized  that  general  agitation  which 
then  arose  all  over  France  and  revived  the  republicanism 
of  1793.     As  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  explain  this 


332  An  Historical  Mystery. 

obscure  corner  of  our  history,  I  must  tell  }ou  that  this 
agitation,  starting  from  Fouche's  own  hand  (which  held 
the  wires  of  the  former  Montagne),  produced  republican 
plots  against  the  life  of  the  First  Consul,  which  was  in 
peril  from  this  cause  long  after  the  victory  of  Marengo. 
It  was  Fouche's  sense  of  the  evil  he  had  thus  brought 
about  which  led  him  to  warn  Napoleon,  who  held  a 
contrary  opinion,  that  republicans  were  more  concerned 
than  roj'alists  in  the  various  conspiracies. 

"  Fouche  was  an  admirable  judge  of  men ;  he  relied 
on  Sieyes  because  of  his  thwarted  ambition,  on  Talley- 
rand because  he  was  a  great  seigneur,  on  Carnot  for 
his  perfect  honesty ;  but  the  man  he  dreaded  was  the 
one  whom  you  have  seen  here  this  evening.  I  will  now 
tell  how  he  entangled  that  man  in  his  meshes. 

"  Malin  was  only  Malin  in  those  days,  —  a  secret 
agent  and  correspondent  of  Louis  XVIII.  Fouche  now 
compelled  him  to  reduce  to  writing  all  the  proclamations 
of  the  proposed  revolutionary  government,  its  warrants 
and  edicts  against  the  factions  of  the  18th  Brumaire. 
An  accomplice  against  his  own  will,  Malin  was  required 
to  have  these  documents  secretly  printed,  and  the  copies 
held  ready  in  his  own  house  for  distribution  if  Bona- 
parte were  defeated.  The  printer  was  subsequent^ 
imprisoned  and  detained  two  months ;  he  died  in 
1816,  and  alwa}Ts  believed  he  had  been  employed  by 
a  Montagnard  conspiracy. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  333 

"  One  of  the  most  singular  scenes  ever  played  by 
Fouche's  police  was  caused  by  the  blunder  of  an  agent, 
who  despatched  a  courier  to  a  famous  banker  of  that 
day  with  the  news  of  a  defeat  at  Marengo.  Victory, 
you  will  remember,  did  not  declare  itself  for  Napoleon 
until  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  battle.  At 
midday  the  banker's  agent,  considering  the  day  lost  and 
the  French  armv  about  to  be  annihilated,  hastened  to 
despatch  the  courier.  On  receipt  of  that  news  Fouche 
was  about  to  put  in  motion  a  whole  army  of  bill-posters 
and  criers,  with  a  truck  full  of  proclamations,  when  the 
second  courier  arrived  with  the  news  of  the  triumph 
which  put  all  France  beside  itself  with  joy.  There  were 
heav}'  losses  at  the  Bourse,  of  course.  But  the  criers 
and  posters  who  were  gathered  to  announce  the  politi- 
cal death  of  Bonaparte  and  to  post  up  the  new  procla- 
mations were  only  kept  waiting  awhile  till  the  news  of 
the  victory  could  be  struck  off ! 

' '  Malin,  on  whom  the  whole  responsibility  of  the  plot 
of  which  he  had  been  the  working  agent  was  likely  to 
fall  if  it  ever  became  known,  was  so  terrified  that  he 
packed  the  proclamations  and  other  papers  in  carts  and 
took  them  down  to  Gondreville  in  the  night-time,  where 
no  doubt  they  were  hidden  in  the  cellars  of  that  chateau, 
which  he  had  bought  in  the  name  of  another  man  — 
who  was  it,  by  the  bye?  he  had  him  made  chief-justice 
of  an  Imperial  court  —    Ah !    Marion.     Having  thus 


334  An  Historical  Mystery. 

disposed  of  these  damning  proofs  he  returned  to  Pari* 
to  congratulate  the  First  Consul  on  his  victory.  Napo- 
leon, as  you  know,  rushed  from  Italy  to  Paris  after  the 
battle  of  Marengo  with  alarming  celerity.  Those  who 
know  the  secret  history  of  that  time  are  well  aware  that 
a  message  from  Lucien  brought  him  back.  The  minis- 
ter of  the  interior  had  foreseen  the  attitude  of  the  Mon- 
tagnard  party,  and  though  he  had  no  idea  of  the  quarter 
from  which  the  wind  really  blew,  he  feared  a  storm. 
Incapable  of  suspecting  the  three  ministers  and  Carnot, 
he  attributed  the  movement  which  stirred  all  France 
to  the  hatred  his  brother  had  excited  by  the  18th 
Brumaire,  and  to  the  confident  belief  of  the  men  of 
1793  that  defeat  was  certain  in  Italv. 

"  The  battle  of  Marengo  detained  Napoleon  on  the 
plains  of  Lombardy  until  the  25th  of  June,  but  he 
reached  Paris  on  the  2d  of  Jul}\  Imagine  the  faces 
of  the  five  conspirators  as  the}f  met  the  First  Consul  at 
the  Tuileries,  and  congratulated  him  on  the  victory. 
Fouche  on  that  ver}7  occasion  at  the  palace  told  Malin 
to  have  patience,  for  all  ivas  not  over  yet.  The  truth 
was,  Talleyrand  and  Fouche  both  held  that  Bonaparte 
was  not  as  much  bound  to  the  principles  of  the  Revolu- 
tion as  they  were,  and  as  he  ought  to  be ;  and  for  this 
reason,  as  well  as  for  their  own  safety,  they  subse- 
quently, in  1804,  buckled  him  irrevocably,  as  they 
believed,  to  its  cause  by  the  affair  of  the  Due  d'Enghien. 


An  Historical  Mystery.  335 

The  execution  of  that  prince  is  connected  by  a  series  of 
discoverable  ramifications  with  the  plot  which  was  laid 
on  that  June  evening  in  the  boudoir  of  the  ministry  of 
foreign  affairs,  the  night  before  the  battle  of  Marengo. 
Those  who  have  the  means  of  judging,  and  who  have 
known  persons  who  were  well-informed,  are  fully  aware 
that  Bonaparte  was  handled  like  a  child  by  Talleyrand 
and  Fouche,  who  were  determined  to  alienate  him  irrev- 
ocably from  the  House  of  Bourbon,  whose  agents  were 
even  then,  at  the  last  moment,  endeavoring  to  negotiate 
with  the  First  Consul." 

"Talleyrand  was  pla}Ting  whist  in  the  salon  of  Ma- 
dame de  Luynes,"  said  a  personage  who  had  been 
listening  attentively  to  cle  Marsay's  narrative.  "  It 
was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  he  pulled 
out  his  watch,  looked  at  it,  stopped  the  game,  and 
asked  his  three  companions  abruptly  and  without  any 
preface  whether  the  Prince  de  Conde  had  any  other 
child  than  the  Due  d'Enghien.  Such  an  absurd  inquiry 
from  the  lips  of  Talle}*rand  caused  the  utmost  surprise. 
'  Why  do  you  ask  us  what  3*011  know  perfectly  well 
yourself? '  they  said  to  him.  -  Only  to  let  3-ou  know 
that  the  House  of  Conde  comes  to  an  end  at  this  mo- 
ment.' Now  Monsieur  de  Talle}Tand  had  been  at  the 
hotel  de  Lirynes  the  entire  evening,  and  he  must  have 
known  that  Bonaparte  was  absolutel}*  unable  to  grant 
the  pardon." 


\ 


336  An  Historical  Mystery. 

"But,"  said  Eugene  de  Rastignac,  "I  don't  see  in 
all  this  any  connection  with  Madame  de  Cinq-C3Tgne 
and  her  troubles." 

"Ah,  you  were  so  young  at  that  time,  my  dear 
fellow ;  I  forgot  to  explain  the  conclusion.  You  all 
know  the  affair  of  the  abduction  of  the  Comte  de  Gon- 
dreville,  then  senator  of  the  Empire,  for  which  the 
Simeuse  brothers  and  the  two  d'Hauteserres  were  con- 
demned to  the  galle}7s,  —  an  affair  which  did,  in  fact, 
lead  to  their  death." 

De  Marsay,  entreated  by  several  persons  present  to 
whom  the  circumstances  were  unknown,  related  the 
whole  trial,  stating  that  the  mj^sterious  abductors  were 
five  sharks  of  the  secret  service  of  the  ministry  of  the 
police,  who  were  ordered  to  obtain  the  proclamations  of 
the  would-be  Directory  which  Malin  had  surreptitiously 
taken  from  his  house  in  Paris,  and  which  he  had  him- 
self come  to  Gondreville  for  the  express  purpose  of 
destroying,  being  convinced  at  last  that  the  Empire  was 
on  a  sure  foundation  and  could  not  be  overthrown.  "  I 
have  no  doubt,"  added  de  Marsay,  "  that  Fouche  took 
the  opportunity  to  have  the  house  searched  for  the  cor- 
respondence between  Malin  and  Louis  XVIII.,  which 
was  alwa}^s  kept  up,  even  during  the  Terror.  But  in 
this  cruel  affair  there  was  a  private  element,  a  passion 
of  revenge  in  the  mind  of  the  leader  of  the  party,  a  man 
named  Corentin,  who  is  still  living,  and  who  is  one  of 


An  Historical  Mystery.  337 

those  subaltern  agents  whom  nothing  can  replace  and 
who  makes  himself  felt  by  his  amazing  ability.  It  ap- 
pears that  Madame,  then  Mademoiselle  de  Cinq-C3*gne, 
had  ill-treated  him  on  a  former  occasion  when  he  at- 
tempted to  arrest  the  Simeuse  brothers.  What  hap- 
pened afterwards  in  connection  with  the  senator's 
abduction  was  the  result  of  his  private  vengeance. 

"  These  facts  were  known  of  course,  to  Malin,  and 
through  him  to  Louis  XVIII.  You  may  therefore," 
added  de  Marsay,  turning  to  the  Princesse  de  Cadignan, 
"  explain  the  whole  matter  to  the  Marquise  de  Cinq- 
Cj'gne,  and  show  her  why  Louis  XVIII.  thought  fit  to 
keep  silence." 

i/.-'   THE  Jr 

UNIVERSITY 


THE    END. 


Messrs.  Roberts  Brothers'  Publications. 


A  MEMOIR  OF  HONORE  DE  BALZAC. 


Compiled  and  written  by  Katharine  Prescott  Wormeley,  translator 
of  Balzac's  works.  With  portrait  of  Balzac,  taken  one  hour  after 
death,  by  Eugene  Giraud,  and  a  Sketch  of  the  Prison  of  the  College 
de  Vendome.  One  volume,  i2mo.  Half  Russia,  uniform  with  our 
edition  of  Balzac's  works.     Price,  #1.50. 

A  complete  life  of  Balzac  can  probably  never  be  written.  The  sole  object  of 
the  present  volume  is  to  present  Balzac  to  American  readers.  This  memoir  is 
meant  to  be  a  presentation  of  the  man,  —  and  not  of  his  work,  except  as  it  was  a 
part  of  himself,  —  derived  from  authentic  sources  of  information,  and  presented  in 
their  own  words,  with  such  simple  elucidations  as  a  close  intercourse  with  Balzac's 
mind,  necessitated  by  conscientious  translation,  naturally  gives.  The  portrait 
in  this  volume  was  considered  by  Madame  de  Balzac  the  best  likeness  of  her 
husband. 

Miss  Wormeley's  discussion  of  the  subject  is  of  value  in  many  ways,  and  it  has 
long  been  needed  as  a  help  to  comprehension  of  his  life  and  character.  Person- 
ally, he  lived  up  to  his  theory.  His  life  was  in  fact  austere.  Any  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  conditions  under  which  he  worked,  such  as  are  given  in  this  volume, 
will  show  that  this  must  have  been  the  case;  and  the  fact  strongly  reinforces  the 
doctrine.  Miss  Wormeley,  in  arranging  her  account  of  his  career,  has,  almost 
of  necessity,  made  free  use  of  the  letters  and  memoir  published  by  Balzac's  sister, 
Madame  Surville.  She  has  also,  whenever  it  would  serve  the  purpose  of  illus- 
tration better,  quoted  from  the  sketches  of  him  by  his  contemporaries,  wisely 
rejecting  the  trivialities  and  frivolities  by  the  exaggeration  of  which  many  of  his 
first  chroniclers  seemed  bent  upon  giving  the  great  author  a  kind  of  opera-bouffe 
aspect.  To  judge  from  some  of  these  accounts,  he  was  flighty,  irresponsible, 
possibly  a  little  mad,  prone  to  lose  touch  of  actualities  by  the  dominance  of  his 
imagination,  fond  of  wild  and  impracticable  schemes,  and  altogether  an  eccentric 
and  unstable  person.  But  it  is  not  difficult  to  prove  that  Balzac  was  quite  a 
different  character ;  that  he  possessed  a  marvellous  power  of  intellectual  organi- 
zation ;  that  he  was  the  most  methodical  and  indefatigable  of  workers ;  that  he 
was  a  man  of  a  most  delicate  sense  of  humor ;  that  his  life  was  not  simply  de- 
voted to  literary  ambition,  tut  was  a  martyrdom  to  obligations  which  were  his 
misfortune,  but  not  his  fault. 

All  this  Miss  Wormley  has  well  set  forth  ;  and  in  doing  so  she  has  certainly 
relieved  Balzac  of  much  unmerited  odium,  and  has  enabled  those  who  have  not 
made  a  study  of  his  character  and  work  to  understand  how  high  the  place  is  in 
any  estimate  of  the  helpers  of  modern  progress  and  enlightenment  to  which  his 
genius  and  the  loftiness  of  his  aims  entitle  him.  This  memoir  is  a  very  modest 
biography,  though  a  very  good  one.  The  author  has  effaced  herself  as  much  as 
possible,  and  has  relied  upon  "documents"  whenever  they  were  trustworthy. — 
N.  V.  Tribune. 


Sold  by  all  booksellers.    Mailed,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of 
price,  by  the  publishers, 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Boston. 


BALZAC 


M     ENGLISH 


Fame  at 


TRANSLATED    BY    KATRA       NE    PRESCOTT   WORMELEY. 

i2mo.  Half  Russia.  Uniform  with  our  edition  of  Balzac's 
Works.  Price,  $1.50.  In  addition  to  this  remarkable  story, 
the  volume  contains  the  following,  namely  :  "  Colonel  Chabert," 
"  The  Atheist's  Mass,"  "  La  Grande  Breteche,"  "  The  Purse,"  and 
u  La  Grenadiere." 

The  force  and  passion  of  the  stories  of   Balzac  are  unapproachable.     He  had 

lie  art  of  putting;  into  half  a  dozen  pages  all  the  fire  and  stress  which  many 

writers,  who  are  still  great,  cannot  compass   in  a  volume.     The  present  volume  is 

an  admirable  collection,  and  presents  well  his  power  of  handling  the  short  story. 

That  the  translation  is  excellent  need  hardly  be  said  —  Boston  Courier. 

The  six  stories,  admirably  translated  by  Miss  Wormeley,  afford  good  examples 
of  Balzac's  work  in  what  not  a  few  critics  have  thought  his  chief  specialty.  It  is 
certain  that  no  writer  of  many  novels  wrote  so  many  short  stories  as  he  ;  and  it  is 
equally  as  certain  that  his  short  stories  are,  almost  without  an  exception,  models 
of  what  such  compositions  ought  to  be.  .  .  No  modern  author,  however,  of  any 
school  whatever,  has  succeeded  in  producing  short  stories  half  so  good  as  Balzac's 
best.  Balzac  did  not,  indeed,  attempt  to  display  his  subtility  and  deftness  by 
writing  short  stories  about  nothing.  Every  one  of  his  tales  contains  an  episode, 
uot  necessarily,  but  usually,  a  dramatic  episode  The  first  in  the  present  collec- 
tion, better  known  as  "La  Maison  du  Chat-qui-pelote,"  is  really  a  short  novel. 
It  has  all  the  machinery,  all  the  interest,  all  the  detail  of  a  regular  story.  The 
difference  is  that  it  is  compressed  as  Balzac  only  could  compress ;  that  here  and 
there  important  events,  changes,  etc.,  are  indicated  in  a  few  powerful  lines  instead 
of  being  elaborated;  that  the  vital  points  are  thrown  into  strong  relief.  Take  the 
pathetic  story  of  "  Colonel  Chabert  "  It  begins  with  an  elaboration  of  detail. 
The  description  of  the  lawyer's  office  might  seem  to  some  too  minute.  But  it  is 
the  stage  upon  which  the  Colonel  is  to  appear,  and  when  he  enters  we  see  the 
value  of  the  preliminaries,  for  a  picture  is  presented  which  the  memory  seizes  and 
holds.  As  the  action  progresses,  detail  is  used  more  parsimoniously,  because  tho 
mise-en-scene  has  alreadv  been  completed,  and  because,  also,  the  characters  once 
clearly  described,  the  development  of  character  and  the  working  of  passion  can 
be  indicated  with  a  few  pregnant  strokes.  Notwithstanding  this  increasing 
economy  of  space,  the  action  takes  on  a  swifter  intensity,  and  the  culmination  of 
the  tragedy  leaves  the  reader  breathless 

In  "  The  Atheist  s  Mass"  we  have  quite  a  new  kind  of  story  This  is  rather 
a  psychological  study  than  a  narrative  of  action.  Two  widely  distinguished  char- 
acters are  thrown  on  the  canvas  here,  —  that  of  the  great  surgeon  and  that  of  the 
humble  patron  ;  and  one  knows  not  which  most  to  admire,  the  vigor  of  the 
drawing,  or  the  subtle  and  lucid  psychical  analysis.  In  both  there  is  rare  beauty  of 
soul,  and  perhaps,  after  all,  the  poor  Auvergnat  surpasses  the  eminent  surgeon, 
though  this  is  a  delicate  and  difficult  question.  But  how  complete  the  little  story 
is;  how  much  it  tells  ;  with  what  skill,  and  in  how  delightful  a  manner!  Then 
there  is  that  tremendous  haunting  legend  of  "  La  Grande  Breteche,"  a  story  which 
has  always  been  turned  into  more  languages  and  twisted  into  more  new  forms  than 
almost  any  other  of  its  kind  extant.  What  author  has  equalled  the  continuing 
horror  of  that  unfaithful  wife's  agony,  compelled  to  look  on  and  assist  at  the  slow 
murder  of  her  entrapped  lover?  .  .  Then  the  death  of  the  husband  and  wife,  — 
the  one  by  quick  and  fiercer  dissipation,  the  other  by  simple  refusal  to  live  longer, 
—  and  the  abandonment  of  the  accursed  dwelling  to  solitude  and  decay,  complete 
a  picture,  which  for  vividness,  emotional  force,  imaginative  power,  and  compre- 
hensiveness of  effects,  can  be  said  to  have  few  equals  in  its  own  class  of  fiction.  — 
Kansas  City  Jour7ial. 

Sold  by  all  booksellers.     Mailed,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 
the  publishers, 

ROBERTS    BROTHERS,  Boston. 


ENGLISH. 


.IBERT. 


"As  for  Balzac,"  writes  Oscar  Wilde,  "  lie  was  a  most  remarkable  combination 
of  the  artistic  temperament  with  the  scientific  spirit."  It  is  his  artistic  tempera* 
ment  which  reveals  itself  the  most  clearly  in  the  novel  before  us.  As  we  read 
"  Louis  Lambert,"  we  fed  convinced  that  it  is  largely  autobiographical.  It  is  a 
psychical  study  as  delicate  as  Amiel's  Journal,  and  nearly  as  spiritual.  We  follow 
the  life  of  the  sensitive,  poetical  schoolboy,  feeling  that  it  is  a  true  picture  of  Bal- 
zac's own  youth.  When  the  literary  work  on  whicli  the  hero  had  written  for  years 
in  all  his  spare  moments  is  destroyed,  we  do  not  need  to  be  told  by  Mr.  Parsers 
that  this  is  an  episode  in  Balzac's  own  experience  ;  we  are  sure  of  this  fact  ahead 
and  no  writer  could  describe  so  sympathetically  the  deep  spiritual  experiences  of 
an  aspiring  soul  who  had  not  at  heart  felt  them  keenly.  No  materialist  could  have 
written  "  Louis  Lambert."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

Of  all  of  Balzac's  works  thus  far  translated  by  Miss  Katharine  Prescott  Wormeley. 
the  last  in  the  series,  "  Louis  Lambert,"  is  the  most  difficult  of  comprehension. 
It  is  the  second  of  the  author's  Philosophical  Studies.  "The  Magic  Skin"  being 
the  first,  and  "  Seraphita,"  shortly  to  be  published,  being  the  third  and  last.  In 
"Louis  Lambert"  Balzac  has  presented  a  study  of  a  noble  soul  —  a  spirit  of 
exalted  and  lofty  aspirations  which  chafes  under  the  fetters  of  earthly  existence, 
and  has  no  sympathy  with  the  world  of  materialism.  This  pure-souled  genius  is 
made  the  medium,  moreover,  for  the  enunciation  of  the  outlines  of  a  system  of 
philosophy  which  goes  to  the  very  roots  of  Oriental  occultism  and  mysticism  as  its 
source,  and  which  thus  reveals  the  marvellous  scope  of  Balzac's  learning.  The 
scholarly  introduction  to  the  book  by  George  Frederic  Parsons,  in  addition  to 
throwing  a  great  deal  of  valuable  light  upon  other  phases  of  the  work,  shows  hovv 
many  of  the  most  recent  scientific  theories  are  directly  in  line  with  the  doctrines 
broadly  set  forth  by  Balzac  nearly  sixty  years  ago.  The  book  is  one  to  be  studied 
rather  than  read  ;  and  it  is  made  intelligible  by  the  extremely  able  introduction 
and  by  Miss  Wormeley's  excellent  translation. —  The  Book-Buyer 

"  Louis  Lambert,"  with  the  two  other  members  of  the  Trilogy,  "  La  Peau  de 
Chagrin"  and  "Seraphita,"  is  a  book  which  presents  many  difficulties  to  the 
student.  It  deals  with  profound  and  unfamiliar  subjects,  and  the  meaning  of  the 
author  by  no  means  lies  on  the  surface.  It  is  the  study  of  a  great,  aspiring  soul 
enshrined  in  a  feeble  body,  the  sword  wearing  out  the  scabbard,  the  spirit  soaring 
away  from  its  prison-house  of  flesh  to  its  more  congenial  home.  It  is  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  study  of  the  destructive  and  debasing  process  which  we  see  in  the 
"  Peau  de  Chagrin."  It  stands  midway  between  this  study  of  the  mean  and  base 
and  that  noble  presentation  of  the  final  evolution  of  a  soul  on  the  very  borders  of 
Divinity  which  Balzac  gives  us  in  "  Seraphita." 

The  reader  not  accustomed  to  such  high  ponderings  needs  a  guide  to  place  him 
en  rapport  with  the  Seer.  Such  a  guide  and  friend  he  finds  in  Mr.  Parsons, 
whose  introduction  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pages  is  by  no  means  the  least  valu- 
able part  of  this  vol  nine.  It  is  impossible  to  do  more  than  sketch  the  analysis  of 
Balzac's  philosophy  and  the  demonstration  so  successfully  attempted  by  Mr.  Par- 
sons of  ihe  exact  correlation  between  many  of  Balzac's  speculations  and  the 
newest  scientific  theories.  The  introduction  is  so  closely  written  that  it  defies 
much  condensation,  it  is  so  intrinsically  valuable  that  it  will  thoroughly  repay 
careful  and  minute  study.  — From  "  Light,''''  a  London  Journal  of  Psychical  and 
Occult  Research,  March  9,18^0. 

♦ 

One  handsome  \2tn0  volume,  uniform  with  "  Pere  Goriot,"  "  The 
Duchesse  de  Langeais,'"  "  Cesar  Birofteazt,"  "  Eugenie  Grandet,u 
"  Cousin  Pons,"  "  The  Country  Doctor."  "  The  Two^ Brothers,"  "  The 
Alkahest."  "  Modeste  Mi?non,"  u  The  Magic  Skin?  "Cousin  Bette." 
Bound  in  half  morocco,  French  Style.     Price,  £1.50. 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Publishers, 

Boston- 


BALZAC     IS     ENGLISH 


COUSIN  BETTE. 


TRANSLATED   BY 

KATHARINE    PRESCOTT    WORMELEY. 


He  [Balzac]  does  not  make  Vice  the  leading  principle  of  life.  The  most  terrible 
punishment  invariably  awaits  transgressors.  .  .  Psychologically  considered, 
;' Cousin  Bette  "  with  the  "  Peau  de  Chagrin  "  and  "The  Alkahest"  are  the  most 
powerful  of  all  Balzac's  studies.  The  marvellous  acquaintance  this  romance-writer 
had  with  all  phases  and  conditions  of  French  men  and  women  has  never  been 
more  strongly  accentuated.  For  a  French  romance  presenting  difficulties  in 
translation,  Aliss  Wormeley's  work  is  excellent.  Its  faithfulness  is  even  remark- 
able. We  can  hardly  conceive  that  after  this  series  is  completed  Balzac  will 
remain  unknown  or  unappreciated  by  American  readers.  — New  York  Times. 

Balzac  aspired  to  paint  French  life,  especially  Parisian  life,  in  all  its  aspects, — 
"  the  great  modern  monster  with  its  every  face,"  to  use  his  own  words  ;  and  in  no 
one  of  his  novels  is  his  insight  keener,  his  coloring  bolder,  or  his  disclosures  of  the 
corruptions  of  city  life  more  painfully  realistic,  than  in  "  Cousin  Bette."  .  .  .  Not 
one  of  the  admirably  rendered  series  shows  more  breadth,  skill,  and  sympathy 
with  every  characteristic  of  the  great  French  author  than  does  this.  And  it  is 
quite  a  marvel  of  translation. —  The  American,  Philadelphia. 

'T  is  true  the  book  is  not  for  babes,  but  he  must  have  strange  views  of  innocence 
who  would  ignore  the  influence  for  good  inherent  in  such  a  work.  Ignorance  con- 
stitutes but  a  sorry  shield  against  the  onslaughts  of  temptation.  It  is  well  if  wis- 
dom can  be  so  cheaply  got  as  by  the  perusal  of   the  book.  — American  Hebre'v. 

It  is  an  awful  picture,  but  it  is  emphatically  a  work  of  genius.  ...  It  cannot 
be  said  that  "Cousin  Bette"  is  a  book  for  those  who  like  only  optimistic  presen- 
tations of  life.  It  is  a  study  in  morbid  pathology  ;  an  inquiry  into  the  working  of 
passions  and  vices,  the  mischief  actually  caused  by  what  in  all  human  societies  is 
too  patent  and  too  constantly  in  evidence  to  be  denied  or  ignored.  .  .  He  [Bal- 
zac] must  be  judged  by  the  scientific  standard,  and  from  that  point  of  view  there 
can  be  no  hesitation  in  declaring  "  Cousin  Bette  "  a  most  powerful  work.  —  New 
York  Tribune. 

And  there  is  much  in  the  characters  that  is  improper  and  fortunately  counter  to 
our  civilization  ;  still  the  tone  concerning  these  very  things  is  a  healthy  one,  and 
Balzac's  belief  in  purity  and  goodness,  his  faith  in  the  better  part  of  humanity,  is 
shown  in  the  beautiful  purity  of  Madame  Hulot,  and  the  lovely  chastity  of  Hor~ 
tense.  In  "Cousin  Bette,"  as  in  all  Balzac's  works,  he  manifests  a  familiarity 
with  the  ethics  of  life  which  has  gained  for  him  the  exalted  position  as  the  greatest 
of  French  novelists.  —  St.  Paul  Dispatch. 


One  handsome  \imo  volume,  uniform  with  "  Pere  Goriot"  "  The 
Duchesse  de  Langeais,"  "  Cesar  Birotteau,"  "  Eugenie  Grandet" 
"  Cousin  Pons;'  "  The  Country  Doctor?  "  The  Two  Brothers,"  "  The 
Alkahest?  "  The  Magic  Skin,"  and  "  Modeste  Mignon."  Bound  in  half 
morocco,  French  Style.     Price,  $1.50. 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Publishers, 

Boston. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

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